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#it’s just a huge thing i noticed coming from four years literally continuously in spaces 90+% made of females
minniti · 1 year
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one of things i noticed more than anything after attending a women’s college and starting in co-ed grad school is that (broadly speaking) women that don’t have the opportunity to be in single-sex environments rarely learn how to assert their own voice when mixed with men. they don’t know how to be firm with them. they are terrified to be the bitch. it takes real, concerted deprogramming to write a terse email (look up the gender ai for the enron emails), to be loud in a room of men, to take up space. feminism is the fight to let women fuck like men, to control a boardroom like men, to be hard like men. we are literally trained from birth to cower and listen and be soft and i kiss the ground everyday that i am able to flout that.
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dnsbarbie · 3 years
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𝐰𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐬┃𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐫
chapter one
warnings: cursing, mentions of death, season 4/manga spoilers ??? (that’s about it, think!)
word count: 2,705
notes: this is the first installment of wistful irises !!! i guess it would be a slow-burn fic that would contain 5 or more chapters. i wrote this to cope with the tragedy of AOT manga chapter 138 — that’s just fucked up tbh.  please give this one a like/reblog/feedback so i know whether or not you liked it !!
NEXT CHAPTER: H E R E
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𝐢𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐞𝐟, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐢𝐟𝐭 𝐰𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐝 𝐬𝐮𝐛𝐮𝐫𝐛𝐚𝐧 𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦𝐬
It was quiet — so eerily quiet, a hand came up to soothe her ears bitten by the cold wind. Devon’s palm felt at the rough rubbles on the surface of which she was sat on. Everything she laid eyes on tugged at her heart, scanning at her surroundings as if she looked one more time, her vision would change. 
Alas, she gazed upon the damaged cities from her place atop Wall Rose, with no success. Devon threw her head back, opting to find comfort at the stars that laid peacefully on the sky. 
“They’re dead.” She asserted, nearly winced at the wave of overwhelming devastation rushing at her heart. 
However, she was unsure who or what she was alluding to. Was it the people of Paradis? Those she lost? Or even — the stars?
Nothing was clear, at the moment. Only hurt and confusion clouded her devices. She found her palms closing in on the small rubbles she had caught, clutching them tightly in her fist.
It had been four years since everything went into a complete spiral. Perhaps it was for her alone, considering a massive part of her died along with the hundreds of comrades who sacrificed themselves for the sake of the truth. 
She remembered the day they found out about the life that existed beyond these walls. The walls she had known all her life, was quite literally, made to imprison its people. It was unclear whether she was angry or sad that there was a whole world out there that hated their existence so much that they’d created monsters to attack them. 
“It’s late, Devon.” 
She recognized that sweet-tuned voice instantly but didn’t turn to look his way as she spoke. “It’s awfully cold, too.” Her voice came in a whisper.
Her new companions footsteps grew closer, making her glance to her right. “Are you here to wallow in despair with me, Armin?” 
The blonde simply sat down beside his friend, looking ahead the dark path. “No,” He answered. “I was just looking for you.”
The silence returned after that. Chilly air wafting at the night, Devon laid her hands on her lap, inspecting how they’ve gotten small cuts from the sharp stone she had held. Her ears felt blocked as her hands began to tremble. She clenched her teeth in the hopes to ebb away her impending emotions. She exhaled a shattered breath, pressing her hands against the skin of her face. 
Armin’s hand that intended to ease Devon’s cries, seem to have worsen them the moment it touched her. However, he continued on, rubbing small circles at the column of her back. 
“I — “ Devon started, her voice failing her as another ripple of pain pounded at her chest. 
An encouraging hand reached up against her own, gently coaxing her into a state of solace, just enough for her to be able to convey her emotions.
With a breath, Devon began once more. “I thought we’ll be close to peace, once we discovered what was in that goddamn basement,” She laughed, lacking humor. The back of her palm wiping at the tears that had fallen on her cheeks. “But — it was just another door to one more disaster.” 
“That’s true,” Armin agreed, but still mulled over her words. “It is a big step from freedom, though.”
She gritted her teeth, baring the headache that came with it. There was a part of her that knew it was the exact idea Armin had in mind. Regardless of her understanding, she couldn’t help but feel a whistle of displeasure crawling against her lips.
With a swing of her head, she finally flashed her attention to Armin. Devon gave him a once-over, noticing how his once shoulder-length hair, had been cut shorter, lips curled into a frown, dragging down a creases on his forehead. The main thing that always saddened Devon was the look in his eyes.
Armin was the last person Devon thought she’d see with those haunting wisp. He was the last shred of hope she had in this world, even before everything came tumbling down, Devon saw Armin as a beacon, that she could run to whenever it all became horrifyingly dark— staring at him now, Devon felt extremely helpless, loneliness grasping at her throat, catching herself reaching for Armin’s hand that was placed on her back, snatching it on her own.
“We’ve lost so much,” She mumbled, compressing her grip on his hand. “I can’t afford to lose anything anymore— Armin—”
“You won’t—”
“— If we go tomorrow, I will—”
“Devon—”
“No— we’re going into a lion’s den! Every single person in that goddamn land wants us dead!” She stressed, leaning in closer to Arnim as if it’s bound to improve his comprehension.
Armin halted, observing the panic flood in Devon’s sunken eyes. The usual brilliance of its green hue had faded over time. In it’s place were tired, dull irises staring back at him.
He swallowed the lump building up his throat, nodding in understanding. “I know— but we have to bring him home, Devon.”
With a quick dark chuckle, Devon faced the sky, leaning her head back. “I don’t even know if I want to see him,”
Huffing out a breath Armin was holding, he abruptly got on his feet, pulling his hands from Devon’s freezing ones.
The latter flashed him a confused glance, awaiting his next move. She watched as Armin shook off his Survey Corps jacket, soon hanging it on her shoulders.
Maybe it was the topic of discussion that made them neglect the air that had been a lot chillier than before. Devon felt warmth seeping back into her skin as she hugged the material tighter against her body.
“You don’t seem to have a choice for the matter,” Armin muttered, gazing down at her. “Whether or not you’re in good terms with him, Eren still belong with us.”
Devon grimaced, as if Armin had said something completely ridiculous— in her eyes, it was.
She recalled that painful night, about three months ago. The night Eren decided to sneak out and leave Paradis. He had been babbling about it for weeks prior to his escape. Devon made the mistake of thinking it was all that— mindless babbling.
She was wrong, of course. Eren had actually planned everything. He was going to see through his stupid plan.
“Are being fucking serious right now?” Devon hissed, distressed eyes were scanning Eren’s face, hoping this was some sick prank he’d gotten everyone in.
Eren cringed at the volume of her voice, hands putting up immediately to cup her mouth. “Devon— Please— Listen, yeah?”
His pleas were met by deaf ears, as Devon slapped his plams away from his mouth, glaring at him with the outmost disbelief.
“You’re being stupid,” She scoffed. “This is stupid— Eren— You want to go there?” Her furrowed eyebrows deepened the more she thought about it.
Eren bit his lip, nodding slowly, standing rigid in front of her, frozen at the fire in her eyes. He examined her, sitting on her bed, contemplating the information he threw at her face.
The light of the single candle in the room, illuminated the left side of her face as she turned to him again. “What ever you think is going to fix this, it’ll only call for another war—”
“That’s nothing new.”
“You selfish—” She had lunged at him, limbs acting before her brain. “—little brat—!” An echo deafening resounded in the small enclosed space, rearing on the silence it followed. Devon’s palm stung, eyes raging and barely seeing anything beyond her seething anger.
Before she had the mind to process anything, her head banged against a solid surface, a groan leaving her lips from the impact.
Everything was fuzzy, scarcely making out anything at sight. Only cloudy images filled her vision, almost not feeling the bruising grip pressing her down by the wrists.
The searing breath near her ear, felt uncomfortably cold, a pair of lips grazing at the tip, making her shudder.
“For your own protection— all of you— remember that . . .”
The words echoed, but she could barely hear the last ones, as her breath turned calmer, the last thing she saw were those turquoise orbs, looking back at her with an emotion she couldn’t quite read.
Devon shook herself out of the memory. There was more to it, she knew that — but she couldn’t seem to remember. When she tries, a huge headache always came crashing down on her. A sick wave slapped her as she thought about the dreadful possibility of Eren, messing with her memories. 
She hated the big gapping wall in her mind. It was always incomplete, left her nothing but empty guesses about what else he could have said to her that night before he left her hanging with a missing piece in her heart. 
He left them — and just like that, he gets to come home in the most unnecessarily brutal way possible. Eren was asking for a bloodbath, and unfortunately, that was what most likely going to happen tomorrow.
“He’s going to get us killed.” She muttered, voice thinning at the thought of her fallen comrades — endless blood — fire — explosions — “We’ll be lucky if we all make it out in one piece.” 
This time, Armin didn’t contract her declaration, having her look down. He was frighteningly aware of the fact that any of them could die at any given moment. It brought him peril at how Devon had smacked him in the face with the reality he was trying to avoid. A part of him wanted to believe it was all going to go smoothly, but the logical part of him had mulled over the dreadful alternative for a long time now.
He sympathized with the hostile feelings Devon had grown for Eren. Perhaps it was due to the puzzling relationship they possessed. If he was to base it on his observations alone, it was painfully obvious that they cared deeply for one another but never had the time or courage to say it. 
No one has ever pried about their relationship, since they both dismissed it as nonsense. It was perplexing yet as clear as day what they had for each other. 
They would always be found bicker when they were younger, Devon calling Eren an ugly airhead then Eren shooting back that they were the same. Back then, it was true. They were kids who thought they could do everything themselves. Armin could say, Devon grew out of that attitude as time passed by when he got to know Devon a little better. 
After the battle with Zeke, Reiner and Bertholdt, the amount of trauma everyone endured was terrible. The bloody aftermath of Paradis was engraved into their minds, never fading until their last breath. 
The guilt ate at Armin when he found out how he came to be alive. He often wondered why it was him. Why did Captain Levi give him the chance to live over Commander Erwin. 
On the other hand, remorse gripped at Devon’s throat at the unintentional betrayal that crossed her mind that day. She found herself opening her mouth before she could hide it away. 
“I was so desperate for peace . . .” She whispered, yanking down Armin by his hands, his behind slamming against the hard concrete as he was forced to sit down in front of her. “That I . . . For a long time — I believed that only Erwin could lead us there —”
“It’s alright — “
“It isn’t — it was meant to make me happy, for goodness sake — you came back from the dead after I stood there and watch you get burned alive . . .” She failed to realize she was crying until she felt droplets of her tears falling on her hands, intertwined with Armin’s.
Looking away, she continued, Armin watching her carefully. “Mikasa and Eren were desperately convincing Captain Levi to resurrect you — while I stared at both yours and Commander Erwin’s body , absolutely loathing the choice that had to be made.” 
Devon could no longer hold in her heavy sobs, as it broke through her completely. “I get why you thought that, and you weren’t selfish for doing it, were you?” She listened to Armin’s reassuring voice. “You thought Erwin should’ve had it because you believed people would follow him and would avoid getting hurt — “
“ — you’d be able to do that too, though . . .” Devon countered, sniffling as she glanced back at Armin’s oceanic orbs. “I was just blinded by fear to think straight back then.”
Armin smiled at Devon in a silent gratitude. “I thought about everything you did, too, and maybe you’re right, maybe I’m too blinded by my own fears to face another life that was given to me — but I promised Captain Levi and Commander Hanji I’ll do everything it takes to bring us the peace we’ve been seeking out for years.”
Devon winced at the sudden touch on her head, chestnut locks swishing from one side after the other as Armin ruffled her hair. 
“Regretting could only get you so far,” Armin stated, a small smile gracing his face. “What’s important is what you decide to do about it.”
Warmth flooded at Devon’s core, nearly bursting into tears at Armin’s comforting words. Her mind went back to Eren, his circumstances and living conditions on that island were mostly unknown. But seeing as he had the facilities to send a letter, hints that it must be at the least safe.
She started to fly over the scattered thoughts inside her head, mulling over how mentally drained she has been, yet the noise and dull of her heart seem to only worsen. The countless times she had to convince herself of the good things left in the world to bask the gift of life, but lately, she found herself sitting by the windowsill of her room. Eyes always glancing up the sky whether or not they were painted with shining stars. 
Devon often clutched her chest when the uncontrollable pangs in her heart refuses to remain still. Some days, the rejection of waking up rattles her tremendously, and the refusal to face the day ahead was stronger than anything. 
She wanted nothing more than to take a few steps back and reverse time to relish the tranquility of it all. It sounded ridiculously selfish, but she’d trade anything if it means she would awake to Eren and Jean’s loud voices arguing or to see Sasha pocket goods she had stolen from the kitchen while being chased down by Armin. And oh — what she wouldn’t give to replay the day they’ve all bonded together after Keith Shadis made Sasha run until she was in the brink of insanity. 
It’s those little things that made her nostalgic, bringing a sad smile on her lips that she wasn’t sure if she wanted those thoughts randomly popping up her mind. Sometimes, disbelief hits her harder than anything whenever she’d allow herself to scan the faces of what’s left of her teammates. 
When Erwin had told them, he knows “they’d one day go far and achieve great things”, if he was still here, Devon would surely make him look at what had become of them. 
Everyone was preparing for the expedition in Marley tomorrow. Devon had exited the room when she had heard the severity of the situation. Eren was going to wreck havoc in that foreign island and he gave them no other choice than to lend him aid. 
It was rather conflicting, Devon was worried for him but nonetheless, despised his living-breathing self. She often wondered about his whole motive, considering his adamant proclamation that it wasn’t for his own self-indulgence. 
It felt like it was, as she began to feel the shuddering screams of the impending battle that was set to take place. 
If another life of her loved one’s taken from her tomorrow, she fears that it might throw her in an unstable state and she had every right to blame it all on Eren.
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xhanisai · 3 years
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Confront the boundary line of good and evil in my heart
AO3 / FFN
Summary: 
It wasn't her fault! No way whatsoever! But still... Still... 'It really does hurt so bad...so much, I can't take it!'
~(x)~ . . . Tick. Tock. "I'm so sorry Chat Noir! I didn't mean to- I just- I just completely broke down and she was right there and I needed someone-" "It's okay, Bug. I understand, don't apologise," Tick. Tock. "It's not okay at all! You've wanted to know for so long, so patiently and I have always said no- and then look at me now! A hypocrite! This is probably a huge sucker-punch for you and I hate that I've always kept on hurting you back then but now, this takes the cake-" "N-No, I'm fine, honest...really. What matters is your happiness and wellbeing-" "But what about you!?" "..." Tick- "...Kid, talk to me, please. The way you're staring out into space is scaring me." The subdued, raspy voice belonging to the ancient being of destruction went unheard. The boy in question continued to observe the empty space in front, sitting on top of his bed with his knees tucked under his chin and his arms folded in front, hiding the lower half of his face. If one were to enter the room, they would instantly freeze from the glower of the boy's fiery emerald greens that were begging to pool with unshed tears and the aura of his stone-cold demeanour. From the waft of his internal turmoil, even a blind person would be able to pick up that he was currently the host of bad luck. "...Adrien...I want to help, I want to understand, so talk to me!" Once again, Plagg was left ignored, leaving him no choice but to float back down to his pillow and direct his pleading kitten eyes at the blonde, his tiny heart shattered from the state of his chosen. Alas, even he was helpless, his feline ears and whiskers drooping with sorrow. 'But you won't understand. You never did and you never will. No one will ever understand.' Adrien didn't even flinch, didn't even bat an eye. He was a statue of apathy and aloofness; though deep down inside, he was a maelstrom of agonising pain. Oh, so much pain. It was excruciating. He wanted to suit up and claw through the rooves of Paris whilst screaming in anguish. He wanted to find every billboard that had his face on it and tear through it all like paper. He wanted to shred and pulverise his useless, traitorous heart along with its despicable feelings and emotions. But most importantly, he wanted to rip the magical ring off his finger and throw it into La Seine with all his might and then cry for the rest of eternity. And he hates that he feels that way. Absolutely, ridiculously, hates that he feels betrayed. Self-loathing and disgust have taken over his body like a puppet and rendered him completely useless, like a toy forgotten at the bottom of the box, never to see the light of day ever again. The feeling of uselessness and pure shame replaced the blood running through his veins and numbed him to the point where he was equivalent to a powerless machine. He felt his throbbing heart fall deeper and deeper into the pit of his stomach. It wasn't her fault! No way whatsoever! But still... Still... 'It really does hurt so bad...so much, I can't take it!' The younger, softer, naive part of himself which was usually tucked away within the dark, hidden crevices of his heart, screamed as if the rest of humanity's lives depended on it. It was taking Adrien everything to keep him out. 'Is it too much to ask for only one constant in my life? Is it too much to ask for one thing to remain the same? Is it too much for anyone to stop keeping me at arm's length!?' . It is. . It is. . Deep down inside, below the platinum chains and iron bars of solid, concrete denial, he always knew that Ladybug never considered him as close as he did with her. And why should she? Just because he performed an act of common, proper human decency and helped an old man get his walking stick back? Just because he was gifted with the power to destroy anything he touches in order to save the day? Just because he knew how to fight possessed villains alongside her? Just because he's in love with her? . "I'm literally the worst." Adrien finally spoke out loud ever since he returned from...that patrol many hours ago. Despite his words, his soul couldn't help but weep and pray that it was all one huge, cruel nightmare. A twisted, sick joke that whatever deities out there have concocted up just for him. Anything! Yet, this was his reality. "I disagree." The boy snapped his gaze towards the kwami, his brows furrowing for elaboration on the little God's part. "I may not be human but I do have feelings and I can empathise. I've existed from the beginning of time and I've witnessed many, many things in my lifetime." Plagg then floated towards him, settling on Adrien's arm so that he was face to face. "You're not in the wrong here, kid. It's okay to feel like this-" "No, it's not!" Adrien's sudden outburst had the kwami shoot away in surprise, the boy instantly turning baffled at his own harsh reaction and then visibly paling even further. He caught sight of his own reflection on a nearby mirror, cringing at the monstrous mess that looked back. With a frustrated sigh, he leapt off the bed, solemnly treading towards his windows, fingers digging into his upper arms as if he was hugging himself. . The luminous moon that shone through the night sky, what was once a beacon of freedom in the past, never looked so unappealing to the distraught hero. His usually glittering eyes were vacant, devoid of any joy and hope whilst his lips were etched in a permanent frown. How many fake smiles and empty words of wisdom did he force out in front of his Lady earlier on? He's lost count. And how many more times will he have to keep doing that, knowing that there will always be another person out that there that Ladybug trusts more than she'll ever trust him? . "I stand by with what I said," Plagg quipped once more, his host quietly surprised with how the little God managed to get so close without him realising. "The two of you have been thrust into a messy situation with very little guidance and a whole bunch of rules which only complicated it further." He then directed his eyes from the moon to the boy. "Yes, I agree that Ladybug's decision in confiding with someone about her identity was a good idea, but as a result of that, it's brought you so much pain. You are not the worst and it's okay to cry it out. It's okay to tell her how you really feel." He placed one of his tiny hands on Adrien's cheek, ears and whiskers still weighed with melancholy as the boy allowed his eyes to prick with tears. One drop. Two drops. Three drops. Four. "It shouldn't hurt- I...I shouldn't be so selfish! Even if she never told me, I was able to tell that she wasn't able to handle her civilian life any longer, especially after becoming the Guardian- I'm supposed to protect her and be by her side! Not throw a tantrum like a three-year-old just because I'm not the one she decided to tell about her secret identity! And then adding my own stupid feelings and insecurities to her plate? I'll be a burden!" The dam was broken and the overwhelming feelings within Adrien cascaded like a tsunami. "You have plenty on your plate as well-" "But I'm used to it, she isn't. I was born and raised to deal with these kinds of things anyway so it's a no brainer for me to shut up and accept it all with a smile-" He paused abruptly, a wet gasp escaping his throat as he leaned against the glass for support when even more realisation sunk in. 'I have been dealing with so many responsibilities ever since I was born...and that puts us on the same boat...so why couldn't she have confided with me then?' Adrien dropped to his knees, fingernails scraping against his scalp as he tried to fight back against those negative thoughts and questions. 'Why am I never good enough? Not for Maman, not for Père and now...not for Ladybug...?' 'Why am I even here then?'
"Adrien...you don't need to put a mask on when you're with me. Cry it all out. I'm not gonna sit by and watch you destroy yourself from inside out because of your inability to address your true feelings. I'm right here, I'll even destroy all the wretched butterflies that dare to come by- so please, let it all out," "I can't! If I do, I'll never be able to go back and nothing will be the same again-" "And if you don't, then things will change for the worse and trust me, kid, that is the last thing you need." Finally, Plagg's words unravelled the obstacles that slowed down the flood and Adrien couldn't help but give in. His body shook and a whole new fresh wave of tears pooled down his eyes, teeth biting down on his lip to prevent the sobs from bursting out. . "...It hurts Plagg...it hurts so much! I love her...and I trust her so much but it hurts! I know she trusts me on a level and I know that multiple times she's mentioned that I'm irreplaceable but dammit! Why does it all feel like a lie!? She did the right thing in telling her civilian best friend, she finally has someone to look after herself- but why does it feel so wrong? Why is my heart in so much pain? Why can't I stop crying? If Ladybug won't lean on me, then what am I here for? And if I can't lean on Ladybug...who...who do I have?" . "...I may not be much and I may talk about nothing but cheese...but you'll always have me, kid," "I want to believe you, I want to so badly, Plagg...but I can't. I feel so alone...I've always been alone... ...And I'll always be alone..." . . . A couple of hours ago, just shy under midnight on a lone, hidden rooftop, if a curious civilian looked up, they would have seen Ladybug and Chat Noir locked in an embrace. However, what they would have noticed first was the absolutely broken, heartwrenching expression Noir wore... ...As if his entire world has fallen apart... . . . ~(x)~ A/N: Just wondering if I should make a sequel and give these two poor cats a happy ending~
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funtimebunnyblog · 3 years
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Okay so first off, I love bears! 😭 they’re so cute! I would have one as a pet if I could. How do you think the pillarmen would react to their s/o finding a bear and immediately becoming friends with it? Doesn’t matter that it’s literally a wild animal. It saw s/o and was like “this is my friend now” and it follows her everywhere. But the bear is “submissive” to her. It doesn’t attack at all and does that thing where it shows it’s belly to her all the time. The bear likes the pillar men, but not as much as it loves s/o.
Ahhh! My dear Anon, this is is such a sweet idea! 🥰🥰🥰 I have the very same feelings about keeping a Fox as a Pet ❤ I very much would if I could! 😌
This started out as a few simple headcanons buuuuut~... 😅 I got carried away and turned it into a full fic! 😘😇 Please “bear” with me and enjoy! 🐻🐻🐻
The Pillarmen’s s/o brings Home a Bear...  (A bit of a long fic; Under the cut for length!)
(I’ll stop making bear puns from this point on, I swear! I just couldn’t pass up the chance to use this picture. in any case... Please do not attempt anything that your read here with a real life Bear or any woodland creature that is dangerous for that matter! If you happen to find a lost little Bear in your travels, do the responsible thing and contact a forestry! ~FunBun)
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  "What," Your head snapped up as someone spoke from behind; your eyes trailing up a most familiar muscular torso to eventually meet the disapproving gaze of Kars looming over you. The Pillarman's eyes were wide and his face unreadable, "is that?"
There you were, sitting on the front porch which was not an abnormal occurrence as this was your house and you did as you pleased...
Except for, of course, the fact that you were cradling a LIVING BABY BEAR in your lap and hand-feeding it a peanut butter sandwich!
"...A Friend." You said after a long moment, blinking up at the behemoth of a man. The Cub in your arms grasped at your hand with two huge chubby-toed paws as you pushed the last chunky bit of sandwich into its awaiting mouth; happily chewing away as if it didn't have a bother in the world.
Kars let out a long sigh, his barreled chest heaving as he reached up to pinch the space between his painted eyes with a forefinger and thumb.
"Why?" He questioned.
It was really the only thing he could say in that moment as thousands of questions rolled through his head like flotsam and jetsam. The Pillarmen struggled to keep a hold on himself, trying to give you the benefit of the doubt first before giving you the scolding he so wanted to.
He and the others knew very well you loved animals, which pleased the Pillarmen as they were Men who valued nature and precious life; Kars was no exception. They were most especially aware of your specific fixation on Bears but Kars never so much as gave the love for the creature a second thought.
However, right now, while you held a living Bear in your lap he was beginning to wish he had thought to tell you not to do something as foolish as take one in.
"Hey! I didn't do anything!" You defended yourself, allowing the Bear Cub you cradled to lick the remnants of the gooey sandwich from your fingers. You know exactly what he was thinking; he thought you deliberately went out and took the Bear!
Really, you hadn't done anything! Well... not this time anyways.
It all started when you had gone out for your morning walk in the woods, you happened to enjoy the crisp Spring air this time of year and it was a good way to get out of the house for a bit and away from the noise of the Four Pillarmen you adored that were living with you.
It was only when you were halfway down your usual route when you realized there was a little black Bear Cub following right behind you.
At first, you had feared the worst. Normally where there was a baby, there was a Mother not very far behind and despite your love for Bears you REALLY didn't want to have an encounter an angry Mother Bear that was searching for her lost baby and happened to think you were the one that took it. You did your best to avoid the baby Bear, walking fast and pretending not to notice it in hopes that it would simply give up tailing you eventually and go on its own way back to where it came from, despite the tugging of your heartstrings.
After some time of attempted avoid and evade the Cub didn't leave your side, ambling close at your heals and beginning to cry out for your attention. It became obvious to you it was all alone and even more obvious that it was hungry; as soon as it saw you it thought to remedy both those things.
Always having a big heart, you just couldn't bring yourself to leave the poor thing all alone out in the woods; especially not when it was clinging to your leg and looking up at you with those big honeyed eyes pleadingly...
You weren't supposed to get caught. You had planned to keep him a secret for at least a little while.
You had lead the baby back to the house and left it outside to its own devices on the doorstep for just a moment. Meanwhile you slipped into the kitchen to make, not one, but two peanut butter sandwiches to feed it. You really didn't have anything else to give it, you hadn't been expecting to feed a hungry little Bear anytime soon and there was nothing in it that would hurt the Cub anyways as it was mostly protein.
Your early return from your walk had gone unnoticed by the others (at least at first).
Thankfully, Santana hadn't been in the kitchen raiding the fridge like he normally did this time of morning and had been in the Livingroom with Esidisi instead, too invested in the video game they were playing to hear you come in.
Wamuu was out back chopping up more firewood to burn, as the nights were still very cold; the Warrior too far away to hear you and unable to see you with the house in the way.
Kars was supposed to be up in his study, up to his elbows in papers and practically dead to the world but of course (just when you wanted him to be working for once) he wasn't.
Somehow, he just always knew when something was amiss.
"Peanut followed me here," you explained, peering down at the squirming black fuzz ball in your lap that was still happily licking the peanut butter from its chops.
Kars clicked his tongue, "Peanut?"
He seemed even more displeased you had already named it; if you named something, it became hard to lose it. That was a rule many people followed through ancient times.
You let out a shaky laugh, ignoring the chunky paws inarticulately grasping at your clothes as a little pink tongue darted out from a tiny chestnut muzzle, dampening the glistening black button at the very tip.
Peanut was giving you a thorough sniff, making sure that he had consumed all of the delicious food you had brought him and that he hadn't missed a single morsel.
"It fits." You told him, smiling pathetically as you shrugged your shoulders.
Ruby eyes drifted down to the little creature squirming in your lap for more than a beat before he let out another sigh; this time it didn't sound as stern and disapproving as the first but it still sent a shiver down your spine. His lips pulled into a sympathetic frown as he closed the distance between you two, crouching at your side.
"Dear one," he spoke, using the tone he typically reserved for when he was trying to comfort you or give you some advice. "We cannot keep Peanut."
Immediately, you felt your heart quiver at his words; the pulse of the muscle stopped all together as you looked up at him. His eyes, normally the epitome of inhuman and predatory, now softened.
You knew very well he would have this talk with you, albeit much sooner than you anticipated originally, but it didn't change the fact it was making your heart clench painfully in your chest.
"Why?" You questioned. Now it was all you could really say in that moment as everything else that tried to come out got jumbled up in your throat.
You really didn't need to ask such a question however, as you already knew the answer.
"My sunshine, he's a wild Animal; a predator. He may be a small creature now but Cubs like Peanut grow very quickly indeed." He explained gently, wrapping one muscular arm around you. "And as he grows, his appetite will grow; you won't be able to feed him simple sandwiches forever."
Your lips scrunched up as you peered down at the now quiescent black ball of fuzz cradled in your arms. Peanut, his belly now full and all the peanut butter thoroughly cleaned from his paws and face, had closed his eyes and was slowly falling down into a most comfortable mid-morning nap.
He was so cute; so damn cute you wanted to cry. A hand absentmindedly reached up to grasp one of his paws, your thumb tracing over the squishy pads of his feet and feeling the sharp little claws sprouting from the chubby toes like thorns from a rose.
All your life you loved Bears, no matter the kind; Panda Bears, Koala Bears, Grizzly Bears, Sun Bears, Polar Bears, even Black Bears like Peanut... and now here you were, holding one in your very own arms! Hugging it close to your body like one would an everyday Teddy Bear! A real life Bear had just waddled up to you in the forest, clinging to you as if appointing you as its new Mother and caregiver, cuddling in your arms like a loving pet and cooing as you fed it an icky-sticky delight.
It was a dream come true... and now Kars was asking you to wake up and cast it aside.
"But--... But--..." the quivering of your lip made it hard to find a foothold in this dispute.
"And there is also the matter of his behavior." Kars continued softly, one massive palm gently rubbing up and down your back as he spoke. "Bears can grow to be very territorial and temperamental creatures. Their maximum strength can out lift 10 Men and their maximum speed is faster than any vehicle you can drive."
By now your eyes were watering, the fuzzy spot in your arms no longer seemed so very fuzzy as the world around you blurred behind tears.
Kars, of course, was making sense as he always did and you didn't like it one bit.
The living God's frown only deepened as the glistening of the water pooling in your eyes caught his. Truly, he hated to see you cry. Seeing tears in your eyes was something that made him weak in places he never felt such weakness prior to falling in love with you... but your safety was in jeopardy; and that was something he, nor the other Pillarmen who loved you and dotted on you, didn't want to risk over one creature.
"We have to put him back where he belongs." He said; though his words still carried that softness it was undoubtedly an order not to be refused.
"Oh Kars," you sniffed, your nose crinkling as tears began to fall. "I can't do it!"
You turned more fully towards him, presenting the sleepy Cub; practically thrusting him into the Pillarman's arms.
"Just look at him!" You cried. "He's so small and he's all alone! I don't know what happened to his Mother but she's gone and... and..."
One massive hand found your cheek as the tears came harder, a calloused thumb swiping the raging rivers aside.
"Please Kars... I can't give him up... what if he--?...." you wimpered, unable to finish that thought. You were fully aware you had already lost for today as he shook his head sadly.
Your tears did nothing to sway him when he knew what he had to do.
His free hand slipped under the sleeping Cub, Peanut did little more than fill his palm, scooping him up and cradling him close to his chest as he stood.
Your arms had never felt more empty.
"I'm sorry, Beloved. It has to be done." He told you as you stared up at him with a crestfallen and teary gaze. "Chances are, his natural instincts will kick in and he will learn to take care of himself despite the absence of his Mother. Abandoned Cubs are more common than you think. Peanut needs to go back to the woods."
That was all that could be said, the Pillarman disappeared in one blinding flash; taking the Bear Cub with him.
You were left there sitting on the porch, scrubbing at your cheeks with the sleeve of your sweater until the sensitive skin was raw in the cool Spring morning air. You managed to pull yourself together enough to not raise suspicion and headed back inside to make some coffee.
The morning passed quietly, when Kars made his eventual return to the house (sans Bear in hand) you didn't even look him in the eye.
You didn't deny that Kars had done the right thing, Peanut was in fact a wild Animal and belonged to the wilderness, but you still felt strangely bitter over it. So inexplicably angry it almost felt childish as you couldn't stop yourself from glaring at his back as he passed the kitchen table.
More time passed, your only half-drunk mug of coffee had long gone cold and your grief for the little Bear you knew that was left all alone somewhere in the woods had managed to ebb somewhat. You were just about to get up to go get a start on some chores when all of a sudden, Wamuu came through the door.
"Shoo! Shoo!" The massive Pillarman swiped his hand as he backed himself through the door, "Go on! Go back to your Home, small one."
You tilted your head, watching the unusual display. "What's wrong?"
The blonde turned his head to look at you with a frown. "I was trying to finish up my morning task when a Bear came out of the woods." He explained, finally closing the door with a sigh. Your gasp went unnoticed as he peered through the window of the door, his frown only etching deeper. "It's too small to be a juvenile. Just a Cub. I did not want to find out if there was a Mother lingering so I came back to the House. However, it seems to have decided to follow me..."
The Warrior blinked as you were suddenly out of your seat, squeezing past him to squish against the window of the door to see for yourself.
"Peanut!" You cried, your heart fluttering in your chest as you too caught sight of the little round ink blot sitting dejectedly on the porch.
Wamuu barely had a chance to react let alone intervene as you yanked open the door again, the sounds of the crying Bear hitting your ears.
It was Peanut alright, every feature similar right down to the whiskers of his muzzle. The Bear was plopped down on his rear, feet sticking out under him like he were a simple Teddy Bear sitting on the shelf of a toy store, and staring up at the door he knew you were behind. The squeaky wailing of the Cub fell silent as soon as he caught sight of you and realized he was no longer all alone, it seemed that he missed you just as much as you had him.
Wamuu stared in disbelief, watching with wide eyes as the little Bear rolled onto his back to reveal his soft tummy and stubby paws to you.
"Peanut?" The blonde questioned, one thick eyebrow raising as he looked between you both.
This was a wild Animal and yet you greeted it like some sort of pet!
As your leaned down to give a loving rub to the exposed tummy of the Bear, cooing at it as contentment spread across its features. You intended to recount this mornings full story to ease Wamuu's obvious confusion, however, you didn't so much as get the chance to get a word out before Kars was standing in the room.
He had just been about to head upstairs and absorb himself in his work, when he caught a snippet of what was happening in the kitchen. The Pillarman's crimson eyes wide as he approached, needing to see what was happening for himself.
"Look Kars!" You beamed, grinning up at both gawking Pillarmen as the Bear grasped at your petting hand, playfully trying to gum on your fingers with blunt little teeth. "Peanut came back!"
Kars all but shared in your glee, the pinching of his brows and the drooping of his lips gave away his irritation.
He had dropped Peanut off safely somewhere in the woods, not far from your usual walking path. When he had left, the Cub had still been sound asleep, completely none the wiser to being left behind, and the Pillarman had honestly thought that would be that.
It would seem the creature had imprinted on you more than he anticipated and it only added on to his previous fears.
"I'm afraid I'm in need of an explanation, my Lord..." Wamuu spoke up, tearing his gaze away from you and the Bear Cub you were most happily playing with.
Kars swooped in, taking the Cub away from you for the 2nd time that morning, much like an Eagle dropping from the sky to snatch up a mouse. Peanut pawed at his hardened chest, becoming squirmy in the massive mans hold as he let out a couple of little grunts.
It was as if the Bear knew exactly what Kars intended to do.
"I'll explain it to you in full when I return, Wamuu." He sighed as he begun carrying the squirming woodland creature away from the House towards the woods where he deemed it rightfully belonged.
You waved at the baby Bear as it watched you from over one muscled shoulder with those big honeyed eyes, feeling a little disheartened again but the fact that the Cub came looking for you still made a sweet warmth bloom in your chest.
It would be far from the last time any of you saw Peanut.
Late morning turned to afternoon and the day bloomed into something warm and lovely, like a watered down Summer day. Linens and towels came straight from the washing machine and were headed for the clothesline to dry in the sweet air.
There was absolutely nothing better than falling asleep in bedsheets that had spent all day out on a line in the breeze.
Always happy to help you around the household, Esidisi volunteered to put them out for you as you were already busy doing other things around the house.
He had only turned his back for 2 seconds to hang the first sheet, humming softly to himself as he went, before turning to find a baby Bear making himself at Home in the laundry basket he had carried out. Peanut was rubbing his scent all over the damp linens as he rolled in and pawed at the clean sheets; inevitably dirtying them again.
Esidisi found the whole ordeal hilarious, most especially when he was fed the full story of the morning by you who had come out to see what was taking him so long with his chore.
Kars, on the other hand, didn't find it so very funny.
He especially didn't see the humor in it when he found the two of you playing with Peanut in the yard, entertaining yourselves and the Cub by draping a sheet over him and prying it off like a parachute over and over.
Peanut was taken back to the forest a 3rd time; this time much farther into the woods.
Late afternoon rolled around and Santana finally left the house to go outside; having the sole intention of taking a nap in the fresh air via the hammock that had been recently strung up in the backyard.
Unfortunately, the youngest Pillarman got sidetracked when a little Bear came out of the woodwork and crawled into the hammock with him, mewling and demanding his immediate attention as he was hungry once again.
Kars, the one and only, spirited Peanut away before you and Santana had a chance to make more sandwiches to feed it.
This happened over and over and over again.
It seemed like every time the Pillarman dumped Peanut somewhere, no matter how remote or how far from your Home, the little Bear inevitably found its way back sooner or later; ambling up to you or the others with a mighty hunger and a carefree nature unmatched.
Peanut appeared on the doorstep next morning when you were about to head out for a walk.
Peanut was found digging in the trash bin when Kars was taking out the trash.
Peanut clung to Wamuu's leg as he went out to mow the lawn; the Warrior didn't so much as bat an eye, unhindered, as the Cub held onto his ankle while he worked the mower.
Peanut approached Santana when he was eating chips on the porch; the Pillarmen didn't seem to mind the company nor the fact the Bear ended up upside down in the bag.
Peanut followed you around like you were its one true Mother while you tended the yard and carried out chores.
Peanut sat contently at Esidisi's feet as the man was Barbecuing supper in the evening; the Bear watching him and waiting for supper to be served as if he were the guest of Honor.
Each time, without fail, Kars brought him back to the woods and each time, without fail, Peanut came back.
It was only frustrating him further and further.
Eventually, one quiet and rainy morning Kars went out onto the porch to sit and read; he always enjoyed the sound of rainfall and the fresh earthen smell of a Spring downpour. He had barely been there 5 minutes, not even enough time to get truly immersed in his novel, when suddenly a very wet and cold ball of hair climbed up into his lap, actually making the Pillarman yelp at the shock of the sensation of a freezing cold Cub pressing against his bare skin.
Kars was big and dry and comfortable, like a much bigger and hairless Bear, a place Peanut deemed perfect enough to sit out of the Rain and warm up.
The purple-haired man frowned down at the chubby bundle taking up residence in his lap, Peanut grunted contently as he made himself comfortable. His normally downy soft and dandelion puffed fur was now patterned down and awry, radiating with a dank with a heady, musky Bear smell due to being soaking wet.
It was not at all a pleasant smell to anyone's nose, most especially to a Pillarman's as they were creatures with extra sensitive senses.
Kars, now feeling that this was the final straw, was just about to scoop the creature up into his arms and carry out their usual pick up and drop off routine; this time he intended to take Peanut all the way down river to the farthest side of the forest and leave him there.
He stopped on a dime when two big pools of honey locked onto glimmering rubies.
"Don't look at me like that..." the Pillarman warned, feeling his heart quiver strangely in his chest. The command didn't come out nearly as firm as he intended it to be.
Kars treasured creatures big and small and this creature was so adorable, so small it made his arms itch in ways he hadn't felt since the time he had taken care of the two infants that grew to be Wamuu and Santana. Peanut rolled in his lap, squishing his face against the Pillarman's abs and nuzzling softly; his fur stuck to bare skin in an almost icky way and made his loincloth feel very damp and uncomfortable due to the run off of water.
The Pillarman pursed his lips, forcing himself to bring to mind all the logical points on why this Bear (this nuisance, this danger, this predator) had to go.
Peanut opened his mouth and let out a little yawn and a sneeze, probably just as hungry as he was cold and damp.
Kars' huge hands balled into fists at his sides, his jaw setting tighter and tighter as he felt himself and the walls of his determination crumbling, hating every single millisecond of it before eventually, after an internal struggle that lasted seemingly millennium... he sighed.
Peanut was scooped into his arms and, this time, taken into the House.
☆☆☆
"Really?!" You cried in disbelief, hands going to your mouth as it pulled into an impossibly huge grin.
Esidisi, Wamuu and Santana just sat there, expressions ranging from shock to disbelief of their own.
Surely he couldn't be serious... could he?
Kars let out a long breath, "Yes, dearest." He groaned, still cradling the tiny dampened Bear in the crook of his arm as it clung to his bicep. "We can keep Peanut."
Immediately, to everyone’s amusement but Kars', you were in his lap just as quickly as the Cub had climbed into it. You didn't care one bit that he was a little damp and that some of Peanuts musky stink had rubbed off on him, peppering his face with thousands of kisses as you threw your arms around both the Pillarman and the Cub.
"Oh Kars! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" You squealed between your line of kisses.
Nobody had expected Kars to cave in this matter; they honestly expected this to go on and on for some time until Peanut was forced to be the one to give up on finding his way back to the house.
However, despite the fact all of them were pleased and ready to take on this idea of having an actual living Bear around, there came the next matters to attend to.
The ground rules.
"But he cannot stay inside the house." Kars said, that firm nature of his making its return. Peanut had managed to wriggle out of both of your holds and was now ambling around the Livingroom, sniffing everything and everyone in sight. Esidisi was following him around to ensure he wouldn't break anything or get himself into more trouble while Kars was feeling so generous, smiling indulgently as he scooped him up and presented him to the others.
"Ok." You hummed, that part was only to be expected.
But you wouldn't deny that somewhere in the back of your mind you had fantasized about cuddling up to a giant fuzzy Peanut in bed or on the couch.
Kars took in another deep breath and the atmosphere changed, it was as if the temperature dropped in the room. The mans eyes were serious and his features became even more stonelike than the masks he crafted as he pulled you closer to him in his lap.
"I want you to listen to me, dear one." He began, his voice was low and something akin to fridged; it only sent shivers dancing down your spine. "If Peanut grows to be an aggressive creature or too much a hassle to handle, even if he gives any of us the slightest reason to fear he would harm you in any way, shape or form... we'll have to be rid of him. Permanently."
His words hung in the air, making your stomach sink like a rock falling helplessly to the depths of the ocean. A lump was starting to balloon in your throat.
You knew very well what that meant.
The Pillarmen weren't men who took any form of pleasure out of killing Animals; Kars especially... but you knew that he would not hesitate to do so for your sake. His words spoken to you prior on the porch when you first encountered the Cub rang around quite deafeningly in your head.
"Do I make myself clear?" He asked you, his pupils burned absolute holes into your heart as he held your gaze; not unlike a strict parent after giving the scolding of a lifetime.
The best you could do was nod, praying the day you all feared would never come at all or at least not very soon; the latter was perhaps your best hope.
For now, however, you planned on celebrating the day by making a peanut butter sandwich for the newest, and perhaps hungriest, member of your little Family.
☆☆☆
Time passed, as it did for everything, and Peanut grew and grew. He grew from a small and clumsy little Bear Cub into a bigger and gangly Juvenile Bear by mid Summer.
Sometimes the Bear would disappear at night into the woods, just after supper of course, but there were also times he would just sleep close to the house; most specifically by the front porch. Peanut still followed you around outside as you did anything, always greeting you with a grunt as he flopped onto his back to reveal his belly and were always more than happy to rub it when he did.
His appetite did indeed grow and the simple peanut butter namesake was no longer truly fulfilling to him; nothing more than a sweet morsel to lick up as a treat.
Peanut had to be shown how to properly hunt for himself and that was something you and Esidisi decided to tackle together, taking him down to the river on the hottest days to teach him to to fish for himself. Those days were filled with much laughter on your part where you sat on the bank to watch the Pillarmen wading out in the raging waters with the Bear, hunched forward and making a grab for a slippery and wet flying fish with his hands as they jumped from the water to properly demonstrate.
Eventually, after much trial and error (not to mention Esidisi falling right into the river a handful of times) Peanut was able to catch all the fish he wanted to eat.
Wamuu was a big help in burning off the major energy that came with Peanut growing into an adult Bear. The Warrior often spent hours out in the yard playing with him, going so far as to push and wrestle with the creature, playing simple games like throwing a giant ball around or to even take him on a run through the woods to tire him out.
Sometimes you even tailed behind the pair on your 4 wheeler to get in on the fun and play.
Santana found himself spending his days playing with Peanut too, more often content to help you take care of the beast. You and Santana tried to bath Peanut at least once every 2 weeks to fight against his stinky Bear musk, lathering him up nicely where he sat contently in an old kiddie pool in the yard and hosing him off. Santana would spend a lot of time with Peanut as the Bear napped, scratching his back and finger combing the knots out of his fur; even plucking annoying ticks from the Bears body when he found them.
You found it quite disturbing, and more than a little gross, as to how Santana could hold the bloated insects between his fingers and pop them upon finding them. You swore you could hear the red-head chuckle lowly each time you let out a disgusted gag when he done it.
And Kars, he found himself dotting over and spoiling Peanut with affection just as much as you did.
The Pillarman would deny any claims that he snuck the Bear peanut butter sandwiches between meals or even peanut butter straight from the jar but you knew the truth. It was hard to miss as it seemed Peanut would immediately give Kars a good sniffing upon seeing him, obviously checking for any delicious treats he happened to be keeping concealed.
By late Fall, Peanut was a fully grown Adult Bear.
In fact, he had swollen to such an immense size, he was something of a rival to the Pillarmen; by that time it was something of a relief he was a gentle giant. He was still a wild Animal but he was also a loving pet to you and the 4 Pillarmen.
One day, Peanut stumbled out into the woods and didn't return. Snow came not long after and then the brutal and fridged season of Winter truly begun.
Peanut had disappeared but you knew he wasn't far in the woods, hopefully holed up in a cave and hibernating.
Winter passed slowly, more slowly than it ever had before. As December ticked away to January and eventually February, the others didn't miss how much you missed your Peanut; he was all you could talk about somedays! You weren't the only one who missed him however, not missing the wistful looks passing over the faces of the others upon seeing a segment on Black Bears airing on National Geographic or opening the fridge to find the jar of peanut butter sitting there; untouched and almost begging to be eaten.
March went bye, then April and the snow had long melted away due to the heavy rainfall but still, Peanut did not make his return.
You were seriously starting to worry by this time. What if he hadn't been hibernating all along? What if a Hunter had gotten to him? Or what if... he forgot about you?
The Pillarmen could only console you so much, trying their best not to give you false hope by saying things along the lines of "I'm sure he'll be around!" and make things worse as they really did not know of Peanut's fate either...
It was well over a year since you had first taken in the Cub and now there was no sign of him anywhere.
But just when you were starting to give up all hope of seeing your prized Bear and companion again, you opened the door one morning as you prepared to go on your morning walk to be met with shock.
You just about jumped out of your skin as an earth rattling roar hit your eardrums, sending a jolt of fear striking through your body like lightning and screaming in primal terror at the sight before you. A Black Bear that was larger than life stood on its haunches off the porch, its maw open and its breath showing like hot puffs of steam as it growled out into the cold Spring air; asserting its presence for miles.
For one terrible and too long of a moment, you thought you would be slaughtered on your own doorstep by your most favorite Animal on Earth.
Your terror was short-lived however, as the monstrous beast you feared would devour you whole suddenly flopped onto its back and turned its belly to the sky.
"PEANUT!" You cried, spreading your arms wide as you ran to flop on top of the creature; your friend and pet.
It wasn't long after when all 4 Pillarmen were standing out on the porch, your screech having been heard from inside the house.
"Look Kars!" You beamed, rubbing the gargantuan tummy with a wide grin; eliciting a content grunt from the Bear. "Peanut came back!
Kars could only smile this time and shake his head.
Peanut had come back again, without fail; just as he always done and the Pillarmen were quite happy he was here to stay...
205 notes · View notes
vivswords · 3 years
Text
Sickfic
CW: sickness, vomiting, stomach trouble. 
It was New Years Eve, and the whole group had gone out clubbing for the night. Going from club to club, drinking all sorts of creative drinks, but being careful not to get drunk before midnight; it was a night they all wanted to remember. 
At first, everything was okay. The four friends were having a good time, Zach and Astra couldn’t spend more than a couple of minutes apart from each other, which Lila and Sean found absolutely disgusting, but cute, in a weird way. Zach and Astra had been dating for a while now, after many years of being friends and nothing but that. Sean and Lila had been elated to hear the news all those years ago, considering everyone thought they’d make a great couple. 
Around 10pm, things took a bad turn. Zach had been feeling a bit of general discomfort after drinking what must’ve been his sixth cup of soda, (he was healthy, but he was letting go that night). and now, after dancing and jumping for a while, he could barely stand straight anymore. He looked over at the other side of the club, where his girlfriend Astra was dancing with their two other friends, and they seemed to be having a good time, so he figured he’d go take some air and not bother them with his problem. 
He headed towards the club’s open area, the cold wind hitting his face immediately and bringing him some comfort. His pants were starting to feel really tight against his stomach, but it wasn’t like he could just get undressed there, so he decided to just go sit for a minute, since he could barely keep himself upright without a painful cramp crossing his insides. 
He stayed there, shivering a bit from the cold and cradling his belly protectively as it only grew bigger and the pain only became worse. After about fifteen minutes, the ache was almost unbearable; he was sweating even though it was freezing, and he couldn’t seem to move his hand from his stomach in fear of it getting worse. With his free hand, he reached out to his back pocket and pulled out his cellphone. Zach went to speed dial and pressed Astra’s number, knowing she always kept her phone with her and that she would answer. 
As astra picked up the phone, Zach didn’t even let her speak before weakly saying, “Meet me outdoors... ow... please”, he panted. Confused, Astra walked outside and found him sitting away from everyone else, a pained look on his face and a hand around his middle as he panted heavily. She furrowed her eyebrows and kneeled down in front of him, resting her hands on top of his knees, afraid to do something to upset him more. “Zach, baby, are you okay?” she asked worriedly, to which he only responded by shaking his head and bending down to press his forehead on her shoulder, keeping his arms around his belly. Astra rubbed his back calmly as she asked, “Oh love, what is it? are you in pain?” she wondered. “m’tummy really hurts.” he moaned in pain. She continued rubbing his back and neck, asking him if she could see and try to make it better, but he denied her access to his middle by shaking his head and tightening his own grip around his body. Zach had always been rather self-conscious about his stomach, and though he had nothing to worry about,Astra had always been respectful about it and avoided touching him there. But in that moment, she couldn’t think of any other way to help him, if she couldn't even see the problem. She wouldn’t push him, though. 
“Let’s go, baby, we’re leaving.” Astra said, standing up and helping him stand up even though he cried in pain and shook his head begging her to stop. This broke her heart, but she knew she needed to get him home or he would just get worse. He leaned all of his weight on her, and closed his eyes for a moment as they stepped inside again. Astra sat him down on a stool and told him to wait there as she looked for her best friend and asked her for a drive home. Astra would drive, but she wanted to seat with Zach in case he felt worse on the 10 minute drive. 
Lila agreed to drive them home, her heart sinking as well when she heard Zach wasn't feeling too well. They were all close friends, after all. Astra went back to where she left Zach and helped him stand up again. It took tree tries for him to be able to stand up fully without literally crying in pain, but once he was up, Astra almost dragged him towards the car. She took a seat next to the window on the back, and Zach curled up against her, keeping his hands around his body and moaning in pain every time the car hit a small bump. Astra could only rub his back delicately and whisper comforting words. “Hold on, Zach, we’re almost there. You’ll feel much better soon.” she kept telling him, and he only shook his head and leaned into her touch. 
Once they arrived to the house, Lila dropped them off and went back to the club where Sean was still dancing. Astra helped Zach inside, and tried to get him upstairs to their bedroom, but he collapsed on the stairs, and begged for the couch instead, which is where Astra took him then. 
“Just lay down and try to relax, okay? It will pass.” Astra said, hoping she was right as he laid down on the couch, putting his head on her lap as she repeated the same soothing movements in his back, like she did in the car. “Don’t you want to loosen your clothes a bit? it might help.” she suggested, but he refused. 
After about half an hour of Zach rubbing his belly painfully and moaning a couple of painful “Uuuuuugh”, he shot up to his feet and made his best attempt to run towards the bathroom. His girlfriend followed him running, and found him vomiting his insides out on the toilet, panting and heaving heavily. “Poor baby.” she whispered and sat down behind him, rubbing his back as he continued being sick. After a while, he flushed the toilet and let himself fall back to meet Astras warm embrace. He buried his face in the crook of her shoulder and cried, “It really hurts, make it stop please!”. Astra hushed him and told him that they would have to go upstairs. There was a bathroom in their room in case he needed to throw up again, and the bed was bigger and more comfortable. 
She helped him up, his tummy not cooperating with the whole movement, but they finally made him to the bedroom, where she helped him get on the bed. He immediately curled up on the bed and hugged his middle again. Astra sat down next to him, “Baby I really need to see your belly, okay? I can’t make it better if I don’t know what’s wrong.” she added. He finally agreed and laid on his back, his swollen belly pressing hard against his shirt. Astra unbuttoned his shirt, and gasped at the picture. 
Zach’s belly was really big and hard, but what surprised her was the way it was pressing against his jeans. She immediately unbuttoned them as well, and pulled them down a little, giving his a little more space to breathe. He had painful red marks across his middle, from the pressure of the clothes, and his belly had grown immensely. 
“Oh love...” she started saying, moving a hand to his belly, asking if it was okay. He just nodded. “You’re really really bloated, baby.” she whispered as she moved her hands up and down the round tummy. As the words came out of her mouth, he winced and curled up sideways again, hugging his body again. “I know I'm huge.” he remarked, his voice trembling. Astra’s heart fell to her feet as she heard him say that. She quickly rushed to the other side of the bed and kneeled in front of him. 
“Zach listen to me”, she took his face in her hands. “You’re beautiful. Every single part of you is, and nothing will ever make me feel otherwise, okay?. I wasn't saying it as a bad thing, I just can’t imagine the pain you must be in now... let me help.” She continued, climbing on top of him and starting to rub his belly again. 
She pressed gently on his bloat, and a huge burp came out of his mouth. “I- I’m s- sorry!” he exclaimed in embarrassment, and Astra just hushed him and told him it was okay. A while passed, and astra just kept rubbing the gas out, making him moan in pain and occasionally cry out completely, but she kept going until the pressure of her bare hands wasn’t enough. 
“You have trapped gas, and that’s what’s causing you pain. I’ve tried rubbing it out but it’s not enough pressure... I'm going to try something now. It’s okay baby.” She said, laying down next to him on the bed so his back was facing her. She crossed her leg on top of him, until it met the big bloat on the other side. 
“I’m so sorry, baby” she muttered before she applied more pressure than ever with her leg, making him scream in agony. “We’re almost there, you’re going so good.” she kept muttering comforting words as her leg applied the needed pressure to the big bloat, making him burp and fart painfully.
Once she thought she was done, she took her leg back, and let him get a breather before helping him sit down, his back against the bedhead. 
“How are you feeling now baby?” she asked, hoping it had improved. “A bit better.” He admitted, “Embarrassed though.” he added, as tears started falling out of his eyes quickly. 
Astra whispered a quick, “Oh love, come here.” as she opened her arms. In a matter of seconds, he had his face buried in her neck again, and was sobbing uncontrollably against her. At first, Astra just held him tightly and comfortingly, but then, she started noticing his discomfort again, and decided to delicately keep rubbing his belly and back as he cried his heart out. 
After a while of crying and belly rubbing, Zach felt exhausted and fell asleep almost instantly. The night wasn’t easy, but Astra helped him through it all. 
At midnight, she simply whispered a “Happy New Year, baby.” and kissed his temple sweetly, before cuddling with him and going to sleep. 
Author’s Note: I hope you like this kind of content! Feel free to make requests. xx
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buckleysjareau · 3 years
Text
double vision wrapped in last night’s party clothes
"I have always been honest with you." When Eddie's voice cracks, Buck's composure almost cracks with it. "Why can't you just be honest with me?"
or
When Buck is let in on a long kept family secret, he doesn't know what to do. He almost ruins things with the one person that keeps him from feeling like he's floating away with no way to land, but it ultimately turns out okay with help of a little communication.
for @cirrius-akiyo
Read on AO3
TW; descriptions of anxiety, emetophobia to be safe, car accidents and death of a very minor original character
From the moment he woke up with a pounding headache and an arm wrapped around his waist, Buck knows he fucked up. It’s not an unfamiliar feeling, waking up hungover in someone else’s bed, not being able to remember a thing. The feeling of knowing he fucked up, it was nothing new. 
But that wasn’t him anymore. He doesn’t drink until he can’t remember anything except the sensual touch of whoever’s finger tips, not anymore. He doesn’t do one night stands anymore. That was all Buck 1.0. That wasn’t who Buck was anymore, so before even opening his eyes to see what kind of room he’s in and who he’s with, he feels enough shame to make him nauseous. 
Dread consumes him when his eyes flicker open to the all too familiar plaid blankets and the toned, tattooed arm around him. 
Eddie Diaz. Eddie fucking Diaz. Edmundo Diaz. His best friend. His partner. His entirely platonic other half. Oh, fuck. He truly did fuck up. Eddie didn’t do one night stands, ever, so maybe this was an entirely platonic and clothed cuddle. He doesn’t have to freak out just yet. 
Then his eyes fall on his boxers on the floor and—
What the fuck happened? 
He swallows down his need to vomit and winces slightly as he tries to lift Eddie’s arm off of him without waking him up. He can’t believe he’s sneaking out of his best friend’s house, a house that he’s never really felt like a guest in. The thought sends a shock of pain through his heart, realizing how truly bad he fucked up. 
As he quickly and quietly dresses, his phone buzzes on the floor loud enough to make Eddie stir. He cringes and grabs his phone as quick as possible, letting out a breath of relief when Eddie doesn’t wake. 
The second he catches sight of the multiple missed calls and texts notifications on his phone, he freezes as everything comes back to him. 
“Nothing I ever did was good enough… now I know why.”
Bile rises to his throat as everything rushes back to him and he books it out of Eddie’s house, barely making it to his car before he empties his stomach of all the alcohol and absolutely none of the shame. 
He’s in his car and on the road by the time he realizes it’s hard to catch his breath and tears are blurring the road ahead of him. 
Name five things you can see, he hears Eddie’s voice in his head. Eddie is one of the sources of his anxiety right now, but he’d helped the last time so Buck goes through it in his head as he pulls over.
Five things you can see. The red truck he’s parked behind. A woman walking her dog. House with pink shutters. Halloween decorations. The pool in someone’s backyard. 
Four things you can feel. His steering wheel vibrating under his hands.  The air from his vents. Sweat soaking his back. His head against the headrest.
Three things you can hear…
By the time he’s through with listing things, he can breathe normally and his vision is cleared enough to drive the rest of his way home. He’s not very religious, but he prays that no one is waiting for him when he enters his apartment.
His heart clenches when his phone buzzes with a text from Eddie and shuts his phone off before he can see what he had to say. 
“Buck? What are you doing here? Aren’t you supposed to be at Chimney’s with your parents?” 
Before Eddie can ask anymore questions, Buck shakes his head. “Do you have any alcohol?”
“You came here for a beer?” Eddie asked incredulously, eyebrows raised. 
“I was thinking something stronger.”
-
His head pounds as he makes his way into the station, a half hour before his shift, and he immediately wants to leave.  He knows Eddie is going to walk in any minute now, and Chimney, too. He doesn’t know if he can look at either of them right now. 
“You knew?” Buck spits out at Chimney, the betrayal he’s feeling so strong he steps back as if he was physically struck. 
“Buck—” 
“No… don’t…” 
“Have a good morning, Buck?” Bobby asks as Buck enters the loft. What does he know?
“Why?” He asks defensively, causing his captain to sit up a little straighter with his eyebrow raised. 
“You okay?” 
“There’s something I need to show you…”
“What is this? Who is this?”
“Evan…”
“Yeah, of course.” He tries to smile but he knows it’s a grimace. He’s usually okay at faking smiles and acting like everything is fine when it’s not, but now absolutely nothing is okay, he realizes. Everything that he found comfort in when things were falling apart has been tainted by this secret now.
Chimney had known something about Buck that he hadn’t known about himself and continued to look him in the eyes like he wasn’t keeping something huge. He feels nauseous all over again at the thought of seeing him today, and he’s not even mad, he’s just hurt. 
Eddie should be walking in right about now and Buck’s heart is in his throat when he hears footsteps coming up the stairs and he’s just not ready for the Eddie confrontation so he’s the tiniest bit relieved when it’s Chimney instead. 
“Oh, thank God you’re alive,” is not what he expects to come out of Chimney’s mouth but Buck’s heart clenches in a way that hurts.
“I told him because I was trying to protect you,” 
“That doesn’t make it any better!” 
Eddie just reaches the top step when Bobby starts the beginning of shift announcements and Buck thanks his lucky stars that there wasn’t time for a confrontation between announcements and chore assignments. 
He looks up for one second to meet Eddie’s eye before averting eye contact in less than a second. 
“Buckley, you’re with me on getting lunch started!” 
He’s relieved he’s not with Eddie or Chimney, but he has a feeling he knows why Bobby is assigning him to lunch duties, and that was so he could pry whatever out of him. He’d done it a few times, and normally Buck didn’t mind but this wasn’t something he wanted to even admit, let alone tell his Captain about it.
“Don’t you dare walk out that door!” His dad’s voice boomed around the apartment, reminding him of all of the times talks about his grades and his future turned into screaming matches. 
“Buck!” His head snaps up at the sound of Bobby’s voice.
“Yeah?”
Bobby gestures with his eyes at his hand that was currently covered in the tomato he didn’t realize he was squishing in his hands. 
“Oh.” 
Bobby clears his throat from behind Buck as he rinses off his hands. “Alright, what’s going with you? Where’s your head at? Is it the bomb threat call that’s got you so bothered?”
Buck shakes his head. “It’s nothing, Bobby.”
“It’s not nothing, Buck. Is it your parents?” Bobby knows he’s onto something when Buck tenses. “You don’t have to talk to me about it but you do have to let me know if you’re not in the headspace to—”
The alarm blares and Buck jumps into action before Bobby can even finish his sentence. He’s fine to go out on calls, he has to be, he cannot sit there at the station with the storm that’s raging in his head. He needs to do the one thing he can’t fuck up.
Bobby gives him a look as he gears up but he just gives him a thumbs up and hops into the truck.
Eddie is across from him, trying to meet his eye yet again but Buck continues to stare out the window. He knows he’s being a coward, he does, but his stomach drops whenever he thinks of meeting Eddie’s eyes, dreads seeing the ‘it was a mistake' eyes. He dreads seeing the inevitable. 
“What do you want, Buck?” Eddie pants above him, eyes dark and searching.
“Make me forget.” He sounds desperate and he is, he’s desperate to forget and he’s desperate for Eddie. 
“Make you forget what?” 
“Just make me forget, please, Eddie. Please.”
“Will you look at me?” Eddie’s voice filters in through the headset. 
Buck takes a deep breath in and releases it before he looks to Eddie. Brown eyes meet his blue and Buck immediately sees the frustration in the way his eyebrows scrunch, but he can also see the fear and he did this.
“Are we okay?” 
The grimace returns. “Of course, Eds, why wouldn’t we be?”
“You left before–”
“Buck… please don’t leave. We can talk about this.”
“You didn’t talk about it for twenty-nine years, why do we have to talk about it now?”
“Buck, let’s go!” Hen shouts as she shuts the door and Buck really needs to get in the right head space because if Bobby benches him now, after quite literally everything in his life is falling apart, he might not be able to recover from this.
His heart is beating erratically as he uses the K-12 to get the door off of the T-boned car, Eddie by his side with the Jaws. The girl in the driver’s seat, probably not even eighteen yet,  is hysterical and Eddie tries to calm her down but the door won’t budge with just the Jaws. 
Her screams get louder the second the door is pulled off and when a name tears through her gut wrenching sobs, Buck notices Hen about three feet away giving CPR to a middle aged woman. 
“Julia!” 
“Ma’am, I need you to stay still for me while I get this on you,” Eddie’s controlled tone echoes through Buck’s ears.
“Please don’t let her die, please, this is my fault!” 
Buck swallows the lump in his throat before he focuses his full attention on the girl. “Miss, listen to me,” he tries so she won’t turn her head to him. “Can you tell me your name?”
“Samantha.” She chokes out but it seems like she’s calming down enough for Eddie to put the C-Collar on while Chimney keeps her head stabilized. “Please, you have to save her, she–”
She starts shaking her head again, as best as she can between Chimney’s hands and Buck is so worried she’s going to cause more possible damage to her spine so he blurts out the first thing he can think of to keep her calm. “Tell me about Julia.”
“What? You have to save her.”
Buck sighs. “We’ve got the best paramedic in the LAFD working on her right now, okay? Can you tell me about her?”
Samantha sniffles. “I- I don’t know anything about her. She’s my b-birth-” she chokes on a sob. 
“She’s my birth mother.”
“Maddie… who is this?”
“It’s you… with your birth mother.”
Of fucking course. 
His heart stutters a beat before his eyes glance up at Chimney in the back and meets his eye before focusing his attention back on Samantha who’s still talking. 
“...and I was just giving her a ride home. I thought that was the nice thing to do and now she’s dead. She gave me life and I killed her!”
“Hey, no, you didn’t kill her. This isn’t your fault.” Buck promises vehemently, because he can. The accident wasn’t her fault, it was the drunk driver who had T-boned them and tried to flee the scene. 
“I… I found the records when I was cleaning out the garage during quarantine. My parents don’t even know I was meeting with her and I should have listened to them because she’s-she’s-”
“It’s okay, Samantha. We’re getting you out of here now.” Buck keeps his tone calm and controlled even though his emotions are tearing him apart from the inside out. 
They get her on the ambulance when Bobby calls it on Julia. Hen falls back to sit on her haunches and defeatedly sighs, wiping the sweat away from her head.
-
Buck feels numb. 
The ride back to the station is one big blur and before he knows it, he’s out of his gear and walking to the locker room when he’s stopped.
By Chimney.
“Buck, can we please talk?” 
Buck clenches his fists and takes in a deep breath before shaking his head. “No.”
“Buck, c’mon–”
“I can’t right now, man. I said no.” He starts off weak, his voice catching, but ends strong. Putting his foot down. 
He lets out a breath he didn’t even know he was holding when he hears Chimney walking away. He grabs his work out clothes from his locker and slams the locker door shut, too many emotions coursing through him that needed to be let out somehow. 
The punches to the bag start slow, controlled, but soon, the hurt takes over. The anger takes over. 
A particularly hard swing echoes through the station, following the growl that rips loose from his throat. Buck pays no attention to the footsteps sounding from the staircase behind him.
He gives a quick glance at Eddie as he plants himself against the wall to the side of Buck but leaves it at that and continues to swing. 
“You wanna tell me what the hell is going on with you, Buck?” Eddie’s voice is tinged with concern, frustration, and desperation and Buck doesn’t know what to do with that. He doesn’t know what to say, how to get the words out. Like Dr. Copeland pointed out, he hides his true feelings from people and he thinks nothing’s ever been more true. 
“Nothing’s going on, Eddie.” 
Eddie huffs. “Right. You promised me we’d talk last night and then when I woke up, you were gone.”
“Eds, please, hurry up. Make me-”
“Forget, yeah, I got you, Buck. Just… promise me we’ll talk after?”
“I had plans with Chimney.” He huffs out the lie.
“Really? That’s funny, because Chimney says he hasn’t seen you since last night.” Eddie’s voice raises just a little but it’s enough to make Buck freeze. He blinks, takes off the gloves, and turns to leave. How hypocritical he is, talking about how everyone always leaves, when here he is, literally running away from every little problem.
He makes it to the locker room before he realizes Eddie followed him.
“If you think it was a mistake then please just tell me instead of lying to me and shutting me out.” 
The hurt in Eddie’s voice is so strong Buck completely freezes. When he goes to take in a deep breath, it gets caught in his throat and he can’t bring himself to move or try again. 
“I have always been honest with you.” When Eddie’s voice cracks, Buck’s composure almost cracks with it. “Why can’t you just be honest with me?”
The tears Buck tried to keep in started to fall and he should really breathe, he’s getting dizzy, he should breathe but he’s scared of the sound that’s going to come when he tries. 
“Buck.”
The sob erupts from the back of his throat before he can stop it and the force of it has him gasping for a breath he can’t quite catch. 
“Shit, Buck?” He hears before Eddie’s in front of him. “Hey, man, it’s okay. It’s okay. Just, talk to me, Buck.”
Another breath gets caught in his throat and the only thing Buck can think to do is bring his shaking hand up to his chest as if he could rub away the agony. 
Eddie goes to catch him before he even realizes he’s keeling over, his hand still trying to clutch at his chest, and Buck can only imagine how scary this must seem to Eddie. He tries to calm himself down for the sake of Eddie but breaths just keep getting stuck. 
“Is this another panic attack or is something else going on, Buck? Do I need to call Hen and Chimney down here? 9-1-1?” He can tell Eddie’s trying not to panic for the sake of not freaking Buck out even more.
“Don’t g-g-get Chimney,” He stutters out, he can barely get the words out of his mouth. “I- I don’t need med-medic-medical attention.”
Once Eddie believes that Buck is just overwhelmed, he jumps right into the only grounding exercise that ever seems to work for Buck and once he can feel something other than the mind-numbing pain that came along with the secret, he turns to apologize.
“You don’t have to apologize for that, you already know this.” Eddie reassures.
Buck shakes his head. “No… I’m sorry for leaving. I just, Eddie, I- I love you, and I felt like I’d just messed up the only place I’d felt at home in. Everything came rushing back and- and I couldn’t face it when I was being forced to face everything else. I’m sorry.”
Eddie smiled as Buck admitted he loved him, cheeks tinged pink, but listened intently to the rest.
“Hey, you didn’t mess up anything. I love you, too, Buck. So much. You’re always going to have a place in our home, last night didn’t change that. I actually kind of thought it solidified that, but I guess I didn’t do too great of a job showing you just how much you belong there.”
The knowledge that Eddie loves him back both thrills and scares him. 
“Eddie. I-I, you have to know, I’m not ready for anything ri-right now. I love you, shit, I love you so much. I’m just a mess right now and I don’t even know who I am, not anymore, not ever and I feel like I’m just floating with no way to land and I can’t… put that on you. I can’t- I mean, before I came to you last night…”
“Hey, it’s okay, we can talk through everything later. I’ve still got your back, ready or not.” He sees Eddie hesitate and the nausea comes back. Please don’t take it back. “Can you tell me why you came to me in the first place?”
It’s tense, quiet for a minute, as Buck decides to tell his best friend, his person, the secret that came into his life like a bomb to blow up everything he thought he knew about himself and his life.
“They told me I was adopted.” 
It’s so quiet in there, he could practically hear the crickets chirp. Though, he’s pretty sure that might be his heart.
“I, wow, Buck.” He clears his throat. “I don’t even know what to say. What can I do? To help, I mean.”
Buck, ever the one to deflect, smirks sadly at Eddie’s wording. “There he is.”
Eddie raises an eyebrow. “Excuse me?”
“You’ve been too good with your words, I was starting to think alien possession made its way into our 2020.” He snorts. 
Eddie feigns offense. “Man, you know when it comes to you, I’ve almost always been good with words. You, on the other hand?” 
“Hey now,” Buck tries to fight back the first real smile since his parents had gotten into town, but gives up fighting it. “To answer your question, you’ve already done the only thing that can help me now.”
“Oh yeah? What’s that?”
“You stayed.”
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sevensided · 3 years
Note
how did you get into writing fic? i'd love to start but idk even where to begin! I loved adats so I was wondering do you have any advice?
Oh my goodness! I am so flattered you’ve asked me this. Yes, I can absolutely help. I’ll throw a bunch of rambling under the cut.
I started writing fic probably when I was... sixteen years old? A lot of my early works were oneshots. I couldn’t figure out how to do anything plot heavy for the life of me, so I just stuck to AUs or whatever I felt like. I wasn’t in any particular fandom -- I really wrote whatever I had ideas for. I remember I tried once to do a plot-heavy story and I received a review absolutely ripping it to shreds. Like, it was so cruel I cried lol. I ended up deleting the fic. Years later, I get what they were trying to say (basically, more substance, less style), but at the time it cut to the quick. Really, it was only when I was in my twenties that I started writing work that was longer and/or better.
The fandom that helped me actually write plot heavy work was a historical-based fandom. As I’m a historian, it was perfect. I got to use my research skills and knowledge to create works that, above all, aimed to feel authentic. I mainly read historical fiction, so I was familiar with how that genre worked. Miraculously, people loved my work. I think I wrote about ~200k in the period of a year? These were several short stories (20-40k) and a few oneshot filler fics. While I was part of this fandom I also helped organise a Big Bang which was a lot of hard work but was extremely rewarding. Along with that, I interacted mainly with other fic writers, so I spent a lot of time chatting to people about ideas and encouraging other writers, and it just created a lovely medley where no concept was impossible or any line of dialogue too difficult. We supported each other and it was truly like a little commune. I gradually stepped away from the fandom mainly because it was just a part of my life at a very specific time, and almost as soon as that time was over, my love for that story/ship faded, but I firmly believe I figured out a lot of how/what I do now purely through that experience.
Regarding ADATS
With ADATS, it stemmed entirely from wanting to “explain” three months in canon (at the end of season three). I was interested in the idea of season four setting up Will/Mike in canon, and I wanted to test the source material to see if I could draw from what already existed to create something authentic. I began with that simple idea: what happened from July to October in 1985? Then I thought about the major themes I wanted to hit -- family, friendship, coming of age, sexuality -- and I nested them around the bigger concept: how do I get Mike from being ostensibly straight to realising he is gay? That meant thinking of two steps: Mike discovering his attraction to guys; Mike discovering his attraction to Will. Those two concepts were separate “arcs” that needed addressing in different ways. Balance was key to weaving them together and making the reader feel like they knew what was coming (and that they felt smart for putting the pieces together) without just rushing through and going “now kiss!” That’s partly why ADATS needs a sequel, lol: because it’s not finished!
Writing process
The first thing I do when I start to get an idea is I write it down. Sounds obvious. But when you have a killer line of dialogue come to you in the shower and you think “I’ll remember that” -- reader, you will not remember it. You gotta get it down ASAP! I do that the whole way through, as generally I’ll be thinking of scenes I’m stuck on and then it’ll just come to me and I’ll quickly jot it down.
The next thing -- or what I do in the meantime -- is start structuring. I plan. I try to plan a lot. Sometimes it’s okay to write “and something happens here to get them here”, because you’ll figure it out later, but for the most part I’ve discovered that planning is like gold and you can’t get enough of it. I break my work up into generally 3-4 parts/sections, and I treat each section like a mini story. So each part needs a conflict and resolution, and it needs to flow into the next section. You need to have a feeling of things evolving and maturing. Once I’ve planned those little bits, I start thinking about the bigger plot arc and how I can drop in hints along the way. I’m probably not a subtle or skilled enough writer to yet pull off that sort of gasping twist you get in really excellent books, but I’m trying to get there. It’s hard, is what I’m trying to say, but that’s okay, because we’re all learning.
Then I generally do aesthetic stuff. Sounds stupid, probably. But nothing helps me get more into a mood than doing a Pinterest board or -- most of all -- making a Spotify mix. I start thinking about the vibe and the general atmosphere, and then I almost exclusively listen to that mix when I’m working. Sort of like muscle memory? Just to get the creative juices associated with that particular selection of songs.
Another thing I’ll do along with plot structure is character structure. This is a biggie. I mean, a story is nothing without characters. So I’ll just jot down a bunch of bullet points of characters and particular aspects that I want to highlight or remember. I hate continuity errors in fiction. Like, if someone says they work on Maple Street but later in the fic they’re working on Pine Street. I hate that. So I keep note of specific things that my main character might notice at repeated points in the story (colours, places, smells, names, sounds -- so they’re all consistent even as the narrative evolves). That’s another thing -- your characters’ motivations. Not everyone is going to be a huge player, but they all do serve a purpose. The most important character is obviously your main character. I personally think it’s important to let your M.C. be an arse at times. They’re going to be mean, they’re going to misinterpret things or fly off the handle... just let ‘em. Let them be wretched humans, and then bring them back and make them realise what they’ve done. Let them learn! I love consequences in fiction, lol.
At the same time, I’ll probably start writing. We’ve already written down some snippets of neat dialogue or descriptions, but now we should start the actual process. For me, I used to start at the beginning. Usually this was the most fleshed out anyway: I’ll have a clear idea of the beginning and the end, but nothing in the middle. These days, if I have a scene in mind that I can’t forget, I’ll just write it. It will possibly get scrapped or rewritten, but that’s okay, because at least you’ve got it down and now you can devote your brain power to something useful (like figuring out what the middle is supposed to be). I’ll have half a dozen of totally out of context scenes just littered in my Word document that I’ll add to as I go along. Eventually, though, you’re going to start writing properly, and that’s when you write your opening scene.
Opening scenes: super important. Every time I write a scene I think: what is the point of this? What do I want the reader to learn or takeaway? Sometimes you do have filler scenes, but they also serve a different purpose (perhaps to establish a group dynamic or to explore/describe a character’s surroundings). Mainly, though, every scene should push something forward in some way, whether it’s character development or a plot point. So, with an opening scene, I always think you have to establish: where you are; who you are; what they are doing; where they’ve come from (in a philosophical and practical sense); and where they’re going (ditto). That doesn’t have to happen in the first paragraph -- that would be silly. But if you sprinkle that information in over time it’ll gradually build up a picture of your character and that way the reader can get an idea of who they are. You basically need to give a snapshot of what your story is about. This also goes back to the character creator stuff: where they are at the start should be different to where they end up. How that happens is, of course, because of plot, and because you’ve structured everything to the nth degree, we’ve got a very clear progression of that character’s growth (/s easier said than done lol).
General advice
Write down everything: every idea, a bit of dialogue, a description, whatever. Write it down. Doesn’t have to be neat. Just has to be on paper. You can’t remember everything, so if you’re spending time trying to hold those things in your head, it’s taking up space for new ideas to come along.
Structure, plan, structure, plan. Sometimes it’s boring and I hate it. Other times, when I’ve not written in a few days and I open the Word doc and think wtf is this supposed to be, I am very grateful for Past Me for leaving such detailed notes. Seriously, it helps so much. Oneshots don’t really need planning, in my experience. You just get those out there. But multi-chaptered stories really do, even ones that “just” focus on a relationship.
Whatever you want to write, commit to it. Space goblins invade Hawkins? Do it. Eleven and Max find themselves in a cult akin to Midsommar (2019) and must escape? Yes. Just... whatever you want to do, remember that you’re writing it for you. Write what most interests you, what makes you when you reread it go AHHHHH I LOVE THIS!! Because that makes it a thousand times easier to actually get on with the writing when you enjoy what you’re doing.
Write a lot. Every day, if you can, or at least at designated times. Occasionally I have a very specific headspace/vibe I have to be in, but sometimes it just hits me and I’ll say to my partner “I need to write now” and just disappear, lol. The more you write the more you write. It’s so, so, so true. Cannot emphasise this enough. When I wrote that ~200k in twelve months? It was because I literally wrote every. day. Or near enough. Remember that some days you’ll write 200 words, and other days you’ll write 20k (this happened to me with ADATS -- part of the reason I finished it so quickly was because I had sprints of writing 10k+ at a time that only happened because I was in the rhythm of it). Write, write, write. Who cares if it’s crap! No one will see it until you are ready. In the meantime, just write!
Probably last of all (although I could go on and on) is connect with other writers. If you’re struggling to start, sometimes just talking about it can help a huge amount. I hope it goes without saying that you can message me whenever you want, anon or not, and I will talk to you. We can talk about ideas or I can beta stuff, whatever you want! Find like-minded people and talk to them about what you want to do. Another thing this helps is in advertising your work when you do publish. I see a lot of first time fic writers get super down because they publish their magnum opus on AO3 but no one comments. Honestly, it’s because no one knows you’ve published! You don’t have to be tooting your own horn every which way, but just actively talking about your work and even collaborating with other content creators with get you hyped and other people too (and the input and encouragement other fandom members give is just... out of this world. Anon messages helped me finish ADATS when I was really worried I wouldn’t [that’s the truth]. Seriously, support is everything). When you have people excited about your work, you get excited. It’s really as simple as that.
I could go on but this is already horrendously long. I hope even a bit of this helps! If you want to chat or have any more questions, just hit me up any time.
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celestialmark · 4 years
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Lacuna - Prologue
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- Characters: Johnny Suh x reader, members of nct - Category: single parent au, fluff, angst - Word count: 2.1k - Warnings: none - Navigation: prologue | part one | part two | part three | part four | part five | epilogue - Author’s notes: I am so excited to share what’s been sitting in my drafts since last year sksksjdjjd I hope you enjoy this <3  - Special thanks to: @/chicagoletters for the insurmountable love and support. this one’s for you. ily. 
“Wow.”
Doyoung is three metres away but you faintly hear his statement the moment you reveal yourself through your front door. He dresses up well, a dark navy tux that hugs his body perfectly, complimenting his long lean figure, shiny black shoes, with his hair styled back, his forehead coming to full view. Doyoung has always been dashing, the main reason why all the girls around him literally fawn with even just a glance towards their direction. But tonight, Doyoung looked exceptional, his already good looks accentuated under the lights of your lamp posts that line your driveway.
Suddenly you’re cowering under his gaze, tugging at the red satin dress that reaches the ground, a dangerous slit stretching up your right thigh, and thin shoulder straps that’s barely enough to hold the dress onto your body. You felt unsure of the dress at first, but now you feel worse when Doyoung doesn’t speak. You pick at your curled locks swept to one side, shifting uncomfortably from one foot to the other, unsure whether to speak first.
Doyoung clears his throat before he’s jogging up the few stairs that lead to your front door. “Y/n, good evening,” he breathes when he reaches the last step. He smiles and gazes at you from head to toe again, “You look amazing.”
You know Doyoung meant it because Doyoung never lies and the gummy smile that comes after makes his statement all the more valid. “Thanks, you look dashing yourself,” you gesture at him with your hands and he unconsciously looks down at himself, pretending to dust away at his shoulder.
Doyoung shrugs, his smile never leaving his lips, stuffing his hands in the pockets of his slacks. “Well, I had to look good. I knew you would, so I needed to try and match up.”
You roll your eyes but chuckle anyway just as he extends a hand to you, “Shall we?” You smile and take his hand and it’s not long before he’s leading you down the stairs and opening the car door for you, his black car just as shiny as his shoes.
It’s comfortable in the car with Doyoung. You converse about a lot of different things as he keeps his eyes not the road, mostly about work and mostly about the gala that’s happening tonight. He sounds excited while your anxiety soars. You’re not exactly the type to be involved in such elegant gatherings, never mind the socialising part and the more Doyoung talks about what would be happening tonight, the more nervous you get. But you try to console yourself with the reassurance that at least, Doyoung would be there, there’d be at least one person you would know in the middle of a crowd full of strangers all dolled up and flashing how expensive their lives are worth.
You’re so caught up in your nerves and thoughts that you don't realise Doyoung pulling the breaks in front of a bright entrance of a prestigious hotel. You look out the window, and sure enough, people dressed in various luxurious dresses and tuxedos are coming from different directions and entering the venue. When you take a closer look, you see security scattered here and there, all dressed up also and that’s when you think that this place and these people were definitely no joke.
You flinch in your seat when Doyoung comes into view and you quickly look to your side to see that the driver’s seat is already empty. He opens the door for you and leans inside to unbuckle your seatbelt as you watch him silently, the pounding of your heart caused by your nerves too loud in your ears. Doyoung offers you his hand for a second time and he reassures you with a smile and a nod of his head.
“I’m not going anywhere I promise. You have me the whole night,” he murmurs gently, knowing all too well how hesitant you were in coming in the first place.
You blow air out of your cheeks, your nerves ceasing a little as you take his hand and exit his car. You watch when he hands his keys to someone who comes up to him shortly and it doesn��t take long before his car is driven off somewhere to be parked. Doyoung straightens himself, tugging at his clothes as a last minute check. He turns to you, “How do I look?”
You don’t hesitate to reach out for his bowtie, pulling at it gently so that it held itself straight. “Better.”
He smiles gratefully and faces forward, offering his arm to you. “You look the best out of everyone here tonight. So don’t be too nervous okay? If anything, they should be the ones nervous of you.”
You smile to yourself, mentally thanking Doyoung for going to such lengths just to calm you down, even if he had to come up with a lie. Nonetheless you loop your arm in his and you follow him as he leads you both inside.  
As expected Doyoung is swarmed by a lot of people on arrival. Many of them, shaking his hand and complimenting him not only of his looks but of what he’s accomplished in life. After all, this was Kim Doyoung you were talking about, the man of the night, CEO and founder of the Kim interiors, a now multi million company well recognised in the country. But even as a crowd gathers around him, even as a crazy amount of people come to have even a two second conversation with him, he never forgets you, always taking care to introduce you to all that he meets, introducing you as his date. And Doyoung handles the situation very well because he’s quick to cut conversations short just before questions arise about what's up with you two.
Doyoung leads you to the main hall where there’s tables clad in white sheets, arrangements of flowers filling up the centres, huge chandeliers hanging on the ceiling illuminating the whole room in a dim manner and a raised platform to one side with a podium on the corner. The hall is decorated well, the minimalistic interiors screaming elegance and eons of preparation. And as the venue continues to get filled with guests, people begin to take their seat, Doyoung pulling you to the table that’s right in front of the stage. Your eyes widen because this was probably the table where the most important people of the night stood, Doyoung being one of them, you... maybe not so much.
You’re surprised to see your name by your seat, the card with your name labelled on it a testament of your wanted presence. You glance to your left, where Doyoung sat and he nods at you again, one of his many ways to reassure you silently. “I hope you’re having fun.”
You lean towards him. “And what if I'm not?” you whisper amusingly, leaning back in your seat.
It’s Doyoung’s turn to lean inwards, “Then I’ll do better at entertaining you.”
The evening begins like that and you find yourself having fun but mostly because Doyoung is there with you, cracking jokes and talking about all sorts of things over dinner. Two hours in the evening, you’ve finished your second glass of wine. As you look around, you notice all the guests talking amongst themselves, jazz music playing in the background by a live band situated in the far corner of the hall. And you realise there isn’t much to be nervous about. So you loosen up with the realisation or maybe because of the aftereffects of the wine.
Your eyes fall onto the empty seat opposite you in the round table. Surely no one would have wanted to miss this night, especially if invitations were exclusively sent by Doyoung himself. All the other tables were filled too. You raise a brow but then shrug to yourself when you come to a conclusion that it isn’t any of your business to be nosy. Doyoung is talking to someone beside him when you excuse yourself briefly to the bathroom to freshen up.
You take a good look at your reflection in the mirror, touching up where needs be and tugging at your hair slightly to put in back in place. You exit the bathroom, leaving the corridor to find yourself back in the lobby with an impressive fountain in the middle, a statue of what appears to be a figure from the ancient Greek times, holding up a vase that’s spewing water. Your heart almost drops when you see someone walk past hurriedly on the other side of the fountain, the splashes of water obscuring your vision slightly,  someone awfully familiar you shiver where you stand. You blink hard and let your eyes follow the man’s figure walking away until he disappears into the hall.
It probably isn’t. It can’t be. It’s probably the wine.
When you return to the hall, you stop just by the entrance when you see Doyoung up on the podium, already in the middle of speaking to his guests, the spotlight now directed to him. He’s in the middle of his speech when he raises the wine glass that’s in his hand.
“It is with great pleasure to be announcing to everyone here tonight the exclusive partnership between Kim Interiors and Suh Industries,” Doyoung finishes off with a wide grin on his face. “I would like to make a toast to a successful partnership in the future.”
And as soon as the toast is made, the hall erupts in applause.
“I’d like to invite the very man, who made this possible, up on the stage please,” Doyoung continues when the claps die down momentarily.
“Mr. Johnny Suh, come and join me.”
You flinch for the second time at the mention of the name and your eyes widen when the said man joins Doyoung onstage. The hairs on your skin stand immediately, chills spreading throughout your whole body at the sight of the man who’s now smiling and waving at the audience, shutters of cameras lightening up the entire stage. Chest feeling tight and knees growing weak at the absurdity of it all, you exit the hall, your heels suddenly making walking very painful.
So it really was him.
You’re not sure how long you’ve been spacing out nor how long you’ve been sitting by the fountain but when you reach into your clutch, you find six missed calls from Doyoung and your dazed self on the screen of your phone when you lock it. You exhale a heavy sigh, wanting nothing more but to go home at this stage.
“Y/n!”
You see Doyoung jogging up to you and as soon as he reaches you, he crouches down, putting his palms on his knees, searching your face, “Are you okay? Where did you go?” He’s genuinely concerned and it must be because of how stunned you look.
“Oh, I went to bathroom for a sec,” you reply mindlessly.
Doyoung contemplates but nods after and doesn’t press on the matter further. “Let’s go back in? They’ve cleared the hall to make space for people to dance.” He offers you his hand for the third time and you take it again. No matter how much you wanted to go home, you weren’t going to ruin this night for Doyoung.
When you re-enter, sure enough, the middle of the room was cleared for the dance floor. There’s slow music playing in the background and from the corner of your eye, there's already couples swaying to it, the lights dimmed even more to suit the atmosphere. Doyoung is about to offer you to dance with him when someone calls him in the distance before he could even grab the chance.
“Save me a dance?” Doyoung mumbles in your ear. You nod with a smile before he disappears.
So you stand there for the meantime, watching the dance floor fill up with more couples, temporarily distracted from your distraught earlier. You busy yourself by swaying your body lightly to the rhythm of the violin playing, your eyes now trained on the floor. You’re already thinking of what needed to be done in the coming week, of work, of all the errands you had to run and you huff to yourself when the list in your head becomes endless. You begin to wonder how longer it’d take Doyoung before he’d be back to you and you contemplate leaving your spot to grab another glass of wine.
When you finally decide on it, you don’t quite get to act on it.
“May I please have the pleasure of sharing a dance with you?”
And when you turn around after much contemplation, he’s there. You’re sure the question is directed at you because he has his eyes set on you, a small smile grazing his all too familiar face. Black tuxedo tailored to his proportions to match his black hair that’s styled back, highlighting his facial features well. He looked the exact same to when you remember him last, yet different at the same time.
But nonetheless you’re sure it’s the same person.
Johnny Suh.
Your first love.
The first man to ever break your heart.
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samwritesforyou · 3 years
Text
Booked (pt.2)
Summary: you decided to go grocery shopping since the amount of people in your house significantly grew and diego keeps you company. after that crazy hargreeves family prompts you for a beach trip?
Warnings: gender-neutral reader
Wordcount: 2.1k
A/N: this fic is making me feel things, i cant quite place it. like... whenever i write it i feel weirdly at home?? idk :D feel free to share your thoughts either in tags or comments! its Very appreciated and motivating, actually! have a lovely day! <3
part one can be found here!
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“Okay but if we kill them, nobody will have any questions, will they? We just bought a house and they moved somewhere far away!” was the first thing you heard, as you have awakened from your “nap”, deciding to keep your eyes shut just for a moment longer, not to lose it again.
“Five!” seems like everyone else said that in unison, grunting and groaning.
Okay, they don’t want to kill you. That’s great. You think it’s safe to open your eyes now.
You were laying on the king-sized bed upstairs, all siblings huddled up around you, watching intensely.
All the chatter between them came to a stop when they noticed that you woke up.
“So.. you’re like all superheroes or something?” you said tiredly, despite feeling rested.
Your mind still felt fuzzy from that info, hearing about such thing only from the tv series or sci-fi genres.
“Guess so,” Luther piped up, shrugging his massive shoulders and offering you a small smile.
Your eyes slowly drifted towards the kid standing by the frame of the bed, wearing a serious expression.
He sighed and frowned at you.
“To be clear, I’m not a kid and I’m actually older than all of you here. I’m a time traveller and I witnessed more in my life than any of you,” his passive-aggressiveness was directed at you, but by the choice of words it felt like he was talking to everyone who was present in the room, “There’s going to be an apocalypse by the end of the summer and our job is to stop it. We failed once, but we won’t fail twice. We rented this house, thinking it would be a good place where we can practise our powers without anyone interfering with us, so please,” his face turned into an exaggerated, wide smile, “don’t get in our way nor mention it to anybody. Thank you,” and as he finished his angry monologue, the blue colour filled the space around him as he disappeared in the thin air, right in front of your eyes.
Hm. Okay?
Only two seconds passed after that, when another sibling started talking to you.
“And I can talk with the dead!” he said happily, spreading his hands in the air like so monk preaching.
“We have a dead brother who’s named Ben and one day I will definitely let you two meet once I learn how to properly conjure him,” he concluded, very pleased with himself.
“Hi, Ben,” you just said with a warm smile on your face, somewhere into the air next to Klaus.
He literally cooed at your action, coming over to you and giving you a quick hug with a pat on the back.
“Okay, maybe we can reveal all our powers later, but let’s leave (y/n) to rest a bit, alright?” Allison proposed, rushing everyone out of the room and then just sparing you a wave and an apologetic smile, closing the doors and leaving you alone.
Maybe you can get used to all this madness. To this family.
You really rested after that.
A room had a roof-window, so laying on that bed allowed you to look up at the sky and lazy, white clouds that every so often rolled along with the blue background.
Soon enough you heard muffled chatter downstairs, this old house being absolutely the worst in being soundproof.
It all reminded you of simpler times, actually, no matter the crazy circumstances.
But enough was enough, and closer to the middle of the day you managed to get out of the bed and descend to the first floor by the wooden stairs, looking around.
Suddenly it seemed quiet.
You shrugged at that and just made your way towards the door, energetically jumping down the few stairs from the veranda and felt your feet hit the hard tartan surface.
Since it was six (plus one spiritually) more people than you were used to having in your home, you decided it was only logical for you to go and buy more food into the local store.
You almost reached the gate to go outside of your property as you heard some fast steps behind you, catching up to you.
When you turned around, you saw a man with longer hair and almost expression on his face.
“Uh... hey, you’re going somewhere?” he asked, brushing the back of his neck.
“To the market, why?” you asked, tilting your head sideways at him.
“Well.. don’t laugh, but I wanted to jog a little, but got concerned that I might get lost..” the end of his sentence was almost inaudible already as he lowered his voice, “so.. mind keeping me company?”
That kind of surprised you and as you slowly realised the meaning of the said words that came out of his mouth you bit the inside of your right cheek *hard*, just not to laugh.
What a silly guy. Getting lost in this hole?
But sure, why not keep him company.
“Be sure to catch up with me though,” you teased as you basically broke into the run, opening the gate and hopping straight onto your bike and starting pedalling really hard to get as far away from him, finally bursting out laughing at the significant distance.
“What?!” was the only thing you heard from him and then you felt the breeze from the hot summer air caressing your cheeks as you were passing your neighbours in the well-known road.
“You seem happier than usual today, darling!” some granny said to you from her garden and you just waved in reply with a huge grin plastered on your face.
After spending last years of your youth more or less alone, you couldn’t even phantom the thought of people your age living with you for the eternity of one summer.
You could never complain about a life you had here, it was all you ever wanted, but the connection with the people of the similar age to you was really lacking sometimes.
And the absolute joy that was washing over you right now was the witness.
You slowed your pace after some time, pretty soon being followed by jogging Diego, beads of sweat rolling down his muscular hands.
Your gaze lingered for a second longer than necessary and you quickly tore it away from him, a slight blush creeping on your cheeks as you now looked straight ahead of you at the road.
“I’m not the best runner, but also not the worst, hun,” he said between the breaths as you continued your ride/walk and you just smiled.
“Pretty decent, I’d say,” you finally stopped at the market’s “parking lot” where there were two spaces for cars and at least a dozen of handles for bikes.
You put yours into one of them, not even bothering to lock it. Everyone knows each other here and everyone knows you.
A young person in the village mostly consisted of people in retirement.
“Alright, what do we have here,” said Diego as he followed you into the store that reminded him of something out of the 70s, really old school design and brands that he never heard of before.
“Everything is mostly homemade here,” you answered, making your way towards the fridge with cold drinks, opening it and throwing him a cola can, “except these bad boys.”
“Hell yeah,” he smirked and then looked around, but his gaze kind of kept wandering back at you, while you were too busy picking the right type and amount of groceries.
Why would you live here all by your lonesome?
“So..” you finally heard him say, as you checked out and we’re both putting the groceries into the deep basket on your bike, “you seem pretty chill with us being.. abnormal.”
You briefly looked up at him when your fingers accidentally touched between the cans of soda and glasses of milk and then your hand moved the other way, eyes too.
“Well.. who’s to say what’s normal and what’s not in this world, honestly?” you jumped on your seat when you were done with loading and started your ride back.
“I know,” he agreed, jogging way less intensely now as your pace appeared much slower, “but seven siblings all having some weird shit powers is... kind of crazy, don’t you think?”
That made you nod, “Yes, of course. But still, I’m not too baffled about this. What are the odds that a village person like me would even get into a situation like this?” you asked rhetorically, gaze fixed on the rocky-sandy road ahead, “You should accept life as it is! Confusion and denial are a waste of time,” you concluded and extended your left hand as you were driving past an apple tree and managed to rip two fruits at the same time, offering one to Diego - all while still riding a bike.
“I have my superpowers too,” you laughed a little and winked at him, making him flustered as he tried to hide it by biting into his apple.
.
.
“What do we have here?” Klaus welcomed both of you at the entrance to the summer house, topless and in a skirt.
“We just bought some groceries since we’re capable of eating the whole fridge out in a day,” Diego deadpanned as he - despite your protests - unloaded your bike storage and went into the house to put the bags there, his arms showing extra muscle that’s normally hidden when his body is relaxed.
Your stare lingered for longer than necessary and Klaus *definitely* picked upon that.
“Darling, if you want to get Diego, be a bit more straightforward with him. He’s a dum-dum,” with the last word he knocked on his own head with a finger and rolled his eyes, giggling playfully afterwards and smacking you on the shoulder.
You defensively did the same, blushing and looking anywhere but at Diego nor Klaus.
Hmmmm, such interesting trees you’re having at your own garden all of the sudden.
“But hey, we’ve all decided that before we start training for the inevitable doom of us all, we would take a break for at least a few days and just go to the beach. When we were coming up we noticed the sea behind all the forests, like.. four kilometres from here?” he looked at you with question, “Have you ever been to the beaches there? Could you guide us?”
You gave it thought only for a brief second and then nodded with a confident smile.
“Sure! I haven’t been there in a year or two but the beaches are still the same, I bet,” you answered and put your hands on hips in a cool posture.
“Thank god!” he impulsively hugged you and let go that instant, “otherwise Five said he wouldn’t let you go with us,” he pouted and then sighed, making his way towards their rusty turquoise-ish car.
You followed him, his words piquing your interest.
“Why does he hate me so much? And why is his name Five?” you narrowed your eyes, plopping yourself on the front seat and sat sideways so you could look at Klaus while talking to him.
“Well, darling...” he started, animatedly throwing his arms in the air, “Five was always a strict man, especially after he came from the future, where he spent like billion years and now he’s 50 year old and always shoves this fact into our young baby faces,” he clearly complained and with annoyed expression continued, “and he’s Five because my name is “officially” Four, but Five was the only one of us who disappeared from the house before our dad even bothered to give us names instead of numbers,” he finished but then remembered and continued, “Actually, it was our AI robotic mom Grace who gave us names,” now he was finished, from somewhere materialising a bottle in his hand and taking a sip from it.
“Anyways, beach trip, babeyyyy!”
“Huh..” you just blinked a few times at him as you heard a hoard of different voices going your way.
You wanted to get out of the car to let them sit however they wanted - you were the odd one out after all - but then they all hoarded in there so quickly that you couldn’t even react, being left in the front seat.
Driver’s seat next to you was empty for now.
As you looked back, Klaus was sitting right behind you, next to him Vanya and on the other side Diego, looking out the window.
Behind them was supposed to be a storage area but they apparently turned it into some diy seats as well, Luther and Allison sitting there, not minding the small space.
Soon the blue sort-of-teleport appeared next to you at the driver’s place and Five briefly threw his gaze at you, swiftly starting the car.
The whole inside of the vehicle roared and you were on your way towards the beach, with you as a main gps they had.
Lovely taglist: @radcloudenthusiast @spacenerdpascal @white-wolf-buckaroo @a-girl-who-loves-disney  @undead--ghost​
NEXT PART→
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jekkifics · 3 years
Text
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fading lights
Suwon was always different. So his parents enrolled him into a special kids school.
•••••
At dot 11:11 something emerged from the wall, startling Suwon. What followed was some kind of foul smelling powder being blown into his face. He waved his hand vigorously in front of his face and coughed stepping behind. “..the fuck?”
“Hey boy!” said a little figure floating in the air. It was the high pitched voice of a female.
“ooOh~ he looks cute!” said another.
When the dust from the powder magically cleared up, Suwon saw three women or girls he couldn’t really guess because they were so small. A little bigger than his hand. They were dressed in sparkly white dresses and tiny white boots. Suwon noticed that they weren’t floating, in fact they were flying, using their translucent webbed wings. He had never seen such creatures before.
“What’s your name?” asked the first.
Suwon stared at them.
“He’s deaf” whispered another girl.
“Blind too..” whispered another as she waved her tiny hands at him receiving no response.
“I’m not,” said Suwon.
“See, he’s not blind, maybe just deaf”
The middle girl who seemed like the older one smacked her. “He wouldn’t have heard you if he was deaf!” Then turning to Suwon, she flew lower to come in level with his face. “Hi there! I am Bada. And we are faeries, faes, if you may.”
Suwon nodded. Faes, whatever that is.
“We are here to take you to your new home safely. So kindly follow us” said Bada as she turned around and walked right into the wall.
“I’m Eugene” said another fae and followed Bada into the wall.
“And I’m Shoo'' said the remaining one. “It's shoo, and not shoe. As in S-H-O-O-'' She paused to look at the nervousness on Suwon’s face. “What happened?”
“I can’t do this” Suwon shook his head. “I can’t walk into the wall” Being the complete human he was, walking into a wall seemed impossible. He was never able to do it before and he was sure he still couldn’t
“Cmon, it's no big deal. Just close your eyes and follow your noona” said Shoo proudly.
Suwon’s eyes were fixed on the concrete wall. This is dumb. This is dumb! I wanna go home!
“Okay, alright. If you’re that afraid. Take a few steps back and run in” suggested Shoo.
Suwon obeyed. Water splashed on his shoes as he accidentally stepped into puddles. It didn’t bother him. There was no turning back now.
“Now listen to me carefully” began Shoo. “number one, you might feel a little giddy when you emerge on the other side because it's your first time. Number two, while you’re inside the wall for a second, you’ll hear deafening noises because you are teleporting so do not stop. Number three, do not stop until you’re out in the open again. Now at the count of three, 1, 2-”
Suwon dashed at full speed at the concrete wall. His eyes shut as he was a few inches from the wall and entered it. It was something he hadn’t felt before. Like someone was trying to tear him apart but he was faster. His surroundings were spinning and he was afraid he’d come out at some other exit, yet Suwon didn’t dare to open his eyes. He kept running on what didn’t seem like ground. It was solid air? Nothing made sense anymore.
Suwon tripped and fell down the next second. His foot had been caught into a twig. He was on grass, in a jungle. The environment was so fresh. He dusted his clothes and stood up. The three faes looked like they had been waiting for him for a while now.
“See, that wasn't that bad, was it?” asked Shoo.
“I am never doing this again” Suwon huffed combing fingers across his hair. He glanced behind and there was literally just more jungle. He had emerged from thin air. It was merely a second that he had been inside the wall but he was going to remember it forever.
The three faes led Suwon through the jungle. It was a bright pleasant day. From behind the trees at a distance peaked a tower. Bada began rambling about the school, the people, the teachers, the subjects, the fun stuff. Apparently these three were part of the student council and volunteered to get first years to the campus.
They emerged into an open field next to which was the huge school. For once Suwon thought it might not be that bad after all. If this school was really for special kids, he won’t be an outcast anymore. He could finally be normal.
Suwon was taken up a spiral staircase at the end of the hallway. It was about ten floors later that they reached a cabin. The faes left him alone there.
“Jang Suwon! Good…” the man glanced at the clock that struck 12 at that moment. “afternoon!” He was a small man with black rectangular glasses. He was pale and had swept across dark brown hair. He was the principal, Seo Taiji.
Suwon bowed. “Good afternoon sir”
“I have been waiting for you my boy” Taiji put his hand on the younger’s shoulder. He continued talking about how he was delighted to know about Suwon when his father reached out to Taiji a few days ago. “You’ll find a lot of people here. Some weird, some very weird. You have to choose your weird. Everyone here is unique and so are you, but promise me one thing” Taiji’s voice deepened and softened. “Never, ever, ever, tell anybody what your powers are”
Suwon’s eyes widened. His heart started pounding. This is supposed to be a safe place for him right? Where he could be himself. What was this now?
“Why?” Suwon asked promptly.
“Because-” Taiji paused straightening himself. His heightened senses told him someone was approaching. About a minute later, they heard footsteps coming up the stairs.
“Is the new boy here, sir?” It was Prof Jinu.
Taiji put on a warm smile turning Suwon to Jinu. “Here he is. You should take him to his dorm” Taiji nudged Suwon.
Jinu led Suwon across the room to another exit. They entered an alley that opened into a slide. Jinu turned to Suwon, gesturing to him to go first. Suwon craned his neck out. The slide was so long and steep, he couldn’t see the other end. He gulped and sat down. His heart was beating harder than ever. Is there anything normal here? Suwon thought, and the answer struck him immediately. Of course there isn’t. That’s exactly why he was here.
However, the slide looked more like a rollercoaster without safety measures aka, death. He gulped, “Sir, is there any other-” before Suwon could complete Jinu pushed him down the slide.
Suwon screamed his lungs out as he fell down the hole. He was afraid any movement he made would topple him off but he couldn’t even see where he’d fall. About ten seconds of yelling Suwon’s throat dried up and he still hadn’t reached the end. He stopped making any noise and sat there falling. The only sound was of air cutting past him. Towards the end, the slide was 180 degrees and Suwon was literally falling down, his butt was barely touching the slide anymore. An ending opened at a distance. Suwon fell right through onto a hard wooden floor.
“OW!” He yelped. A sharp jerk ran up his spine from the impact. He hadn’t broken any bones but his ass was sore. Really sore.
The door in front of him swung open. Until then Suwon hadn’t even noticed the door.
“Guys! he’s here!” said a good-looking boy. He looked as old as Suwon and had light brown hair that shaped his face. He stretched out a hand to help Suwon up. “Your stuff was brought nearly twenty minutes ago, we were wondering where you were,” he said. Their room was pretty spacious. There were three beds lined on one side and two on the other. Four were occupied and a crumpled one probably belonged to the boy who led him in. “I’m Sunghoon” said the boy. “This is Jiyong” he pointed to the tall lanky boy sleeping on the bed next to him. “That’s Jiwon hyung,” he pointed at the boy on the opposite bed. He was too busy playing gameboy with his headphones on. “That’s Jaijin hyung” he peeked from behind his comic book, scanning Suwon from head to toe. “And that’s-”
“I’m Kim Jaeduck” said the last boy as he sprang from his bed with excitement. “Nice to meet you….?” he trailed off.
“Suwon”
“Suwon, right. Nice to meet you Suwon!” Jaeduck and Sunghoon were by far the most normal people Suwon had met since morning. He had already made up his mind to stick with the two of them in case he couldn’t get along with the other three in the room.
Suwon collected his suitcase and backpack that were lying in the end of the room. “Where do I sleep?”
Sunghoon pouted with hands on his hips as he looked around the room. There wasn't space for another bed and it was too small to share.
“You can take mine for now.” chimed Jaeduck. “You only need it for night right, take mine”
“What about you then?” asked Suwon.
“It's that time of the month for me so I’ll be out all night anyway” said Jaeduck.
Suwon’s eyebrows furrowed. “That time of the month?”
Jaeduck smacked his lips. “You know, blood and all,”
Periods? Suwon could bet he never heard of guys menstruating. Was it even possible? Of course not! Guys don’t have a uterus that's basic biology. Unless, he’s…. A eunuch? But do you eunuchs have a uterus? Now that Suwon thought of it, he really didn’t know. Who was he to judge anyway? Wait, why did that require him to be out all night? Omg! Is that how people here treated eunuchs?! That’s fucking horrible!
“So you have to stay out all night?? As… punishment???”
“I wouldn’t call it punishment. It's the best option for us all” said Jaeduck.
Best option my ass! Who treats humans like this!
“You don’t deserve this kinda treatment!”
“Hey calm down” Jaeduck chuckled, settling the younger down on the bed next to him. “It's nothing new here. Our kind is used to this”
It pissed Suwon even more.
“Why the fuck do you have to be out all night! Just use pads like girls do!”
From the corner of his eyes Suwon felt Hoony turning around to look at him in utter confusion.
There was complete silence for a moment, then Jaijin burst out laughing, almost doubling over himself. Seconds later, Sunghoon started laughing when he realized.
Jaeduck and Suwon watched them cluelessly.
“You think he’s talking about periods??” Jaijin asked, battling his laughter.
“No?” Suwon asked, partly relieved, partly confused.
“Omg NOOO!!” Jaeduck squealed. “Are you crazy?! I’m A GUY!”
“What he means is, he’s a werewolf,” explained Jaijin.
Huh? Suwon thought he heard something wrong.
“A what?”
“A werewolf. It's a full moon today, so,, time for him to go wild and attack any human. Hence the isolation. It's not just him. All werewolves here go into the jungle on full moon nights so they can’t harm any of us”
Suwon wasn't listening. His brain had stopped working the moment Jaijin said Jaeduck was a werewolf.
I WAS TALKING TO A GODDAMN WEREWOLF ALL ALONG!?
•••••
further on : ao3
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lettheladylead · 4 years
Text
avoid the unhappy ending (ch10)
ships/characters: Goldie, Scrooge, Scrooge/Goldie words (ch10): ~1800 summary: Goldie comes to town to see Scrooge. Instead, she somehow manages to run into literally everyone else. ao3 link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27108943/
[1 & 2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9]
Chapter 10 under the cut:
There’s a lot of comic references in these next chapters. Nothing that couldn't fit into DT17 canon, so I’ll quickly summarize for context:
Scrooge and Goldie met in Dawson during the Klondike Gold Rush. She drugged him and stole his giant gold nugget. As punishment, he took her to his claim and made her work for him digging gold. Goldie stayed because she wanted to steal Scrooge’s lock box which contained the deed to his property, the giant gold nugget, and (unknown to her) a lock of Goldie’s hair that was cut off in a scuffle with a bear. They went their separate ways after falling in love and not wanting to admit it to each other. (‘Prisoner of White Agony Creek’)
Two years later, Scrooge made his first million dollars and decided to go back to Dawson to settle down. He went back to his claim in White Agony and grabbed his old stuff, then wrote Goldie a letter and bought her a box of chocolates. He lost them on the trip to Dawson and decided that trying to settle down was bad for him and he should just keep working instead. Fifty years later he found his stuff and she finally read the letter, but nothing came of it. (‘Last Sled to Dawson’)
x
Beakley gave her directions to the right spot. How had she gone all these years unaware of a Klondike Room? Maybe she wouldn't have anything to steal from there, but it'd be nice to explore and enjoy the nostalgia. And hell, maybe there was something to steal. A goose-egg sized gold nugget, perhaps.
The path she was going in took her towards the Other Bin, which Scrooge thought was a secret, but Goldie had been there more than a few times to borrow certain mystical items and even stored some of her own there. Having Scrooge keep them safe was much easier than trying to build her own magically fortified bin.
And it was kind of nice to have things of hers in his home. A bit more meaningful than a toothbrush, at least.
She could see the room that led to the Other Bin down the hall, and the one Beakley had mentioned should be just a few doors further. Goldie took a moment to peek inside and took note that the room was still as junked up as always. A housekeeper and a ghost butler, but Scrooge still managed to have rooms that looked that bad.
Four more doors and Goldie wondered if this was an elaborate, annoying prank Bentina was playing on her as revenge for...well, a lot of things. Didn’t seem like her style. But she supposed it didn’t matter, she was checking the room either way.
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Opening the door as quietly as possible, Goldie’s eyes widened at the display in front of her. The room was chilly, but filled with some very familiar pieces of furniture. It felt like a cabin. Scratch that, it felt like the cabin. His cabin.
On the other side of the room, she (finally!) saw Scrooge - wearing his old coat and even older hat - sitting with his back to her on the edge of a bed (and based on how it looked, she was pretty sure that was the bed), looking into a little lock box on his lap.
Of course, it was the box, too. Walking into this room felt like walking into a time machine. And she wanted to say something clever and cute. Some reference to their first meeting or something that would send a shiver down his spine.
Instead, she simply said, “Hey, Handsome.”
Scrooge didn’t react right away, then slowly closed the box and put it to his side before turning around to look at her. “Goldie, Dear, I wondered when you’d find me.”
She closed the door and walked over to the bed, taking a seat on the other side. “So you did know I was here.”
“Aye, Gyro sent me a message about it a few hours ago.”
Goldie turned to him and scoffed. “It has not been that long!”
He just smiled at her and she felt her heart beat faster. Damn that man. She wanted to yell at him for all the trouble she'd gone through, but one look at the space made all her complaints melt away. Clearly there was something more important going on.
“So...how didn’t I know about this?” she asked, stretching out her arms and emphasizing the room.
“You never asked,” he responded with a shrug, moving the box down to the floor and under the bed.
Goldie fell back and spread out her limbs all over the mattress, sighing at the familiar creaks and groans of the old, worn thing. “I can’t believe we slept on this.”
“Don’t complain - you only slept on it for a month,” Scrooge said as he laid down next to her. “Feels terrible, doesn’t it?”
“Hmm,” she hummed, turning to the side so she was looking at him. “It could be worse.”
They stayed silent for a minute while Goldie stuck her hand out and started playing with his whiskers, enjoying the smile and blush that graced his face while she did.
“Seems like you talked to the whole family today.”
“Mhmm.” She kept playing with his feathers while she answered. “Everyone wanted to harass me about not marrying you.”
His face got a little redder. “I didn’t ask them to.”
“I know. You didn’t ask me to, either.”
Scrooge’s eyes darted around the room in a clear attempt to avoid looking at her until he sat up and cleared his throat, cheeks still very colorful. “Um...not in so many words, but…”
Goldie leaned on her arms and watched him, smiling and enjoying his nervousness. Together on-and-off for one hundred and twenty years and he still got like this around her. It was so adorable it bordered on annoying, but she loved it nonetheless.
She sat up next to him and planted a hand flat on his chest, leaning over and kissing his cheek. “I’m just kidding, Scroogey.”
He laughed awkwardly and tugged at his collar, not wanting to continue that specific line of conversation. He started playing with his hands and his eyes darted towards the side of the bed where he’d hidden the lock box.
Goldie smirked. “You know I already know what’s in there. If you think I’ll be weirded out about the hair, you’re a century too late.”
“Ach,” Scrooge grumbled and shrugged her hand off. “It’s not that. Being in here with you...it just brings me back. I feel like you could take the nugget any second.”
“Well I certainly could, if you’d like to chase me down,” she said smugly, started to crawl past him to the other side of the bed.
Scrooge quickly grabbed her wrists and roughly pulled her back to where she was before. “Not on your life, you heisting harpy!”
Goldie winced momentarily as her shoulder stung, but shook it off before he could notice. She smiled and leaned closer, nuzzling her beak under his. “So what are you doing in here, Scrooge? I've been looking for you everywhere."
“Oh, I heard,” he said with a chuckle, letting go of her wrists. “Duckworth stopped by a few times to tell me if you’d gotten close.” He laughed harder at Goldie’s irritated expression. “I cannae believe you went and asked Beakley for help!”
Goldie groaned and shoved her side into his, trying and failing to seem annoyed. “You’re such a lousy old sourdough.”
He shoved her back. “And yet, here you are.”
“Here I am.” She leaned her head onto his shoulder and stared at the furniture set up in front of them - it was his old table and chair set. She was pretty sure the pan she cooked him eggs and bacon in was there, too.
He sighed and leaned his head on top of hers. She could hear his heart beating faster at the contact.
“So…” she mumbled softly. “Why are you in here?”
There was a few seconds of silence before he finally answered. “...you’ll just make fun of me for bein’ sentimental.”
“That’s probably true, but my curiosity stands.” She scooted herself around him so she’d be facing him directly. “I don’t remember today being special for us, but your staff seems to think it is.”
“It’s not special for you,” he said with a shrug, not looking at her. “Just for me.”
“...why’s that?”
He blushed again and she raised an eyebrow. “Scroogey, just tell me. I promise not to make fun of you. For at least an entire minute.”
“It’s nothin’ ridiculous,” Scrooge grumbled. “It’s just...it’s an anniversary. Of me...buyin’ somethin’. For you.”
She gave him a curious expression. “That’s what all this embarrassment is about? I don’t remember you getting me anything.”
“I never gave it to you,” he answered with a shrug. “Lost it in an ice storm.”
Goldie huffed and put her hands on his cheeks, forcing Scrooge to make eye contact with her. “What was it?”
He put his hands over hers. “It was just a stupid box of chocolates.”
She smiled. “How romantic.”
“I suppose.”
“Do you spend the day in here for every mundane anniversary?” Goldie said with a smile as she pulled away, moving to the edge of the bed. “At your age, I’m surprised every day of the year isn’t reminiscent of something or other.”
“What about you?” he asked, genuinely curious. “You’re goin' to pretend you don’t have a million things to celebrate?”
Goldie stood up and chuckled. “Of course I do. I always visit you on the day we first met.”
“And you always steal somethin' gold.”
She turned her head to give him a sultry look. “Would you expect anything else?”
He stood up behind her and let his hands drift to her hips. “From you? Never.”
Goldie spun around and ignored the sparkle in her eyes as she wrapped her arms around his neck. “I’m glad I came today. I always enjoy when you’re nostalgic and this room really takes the cake.”
Scrooge pulled her a little closer. “Oh? Even with my family bothering you all day?” He smirked. “Don’t tell me ol’ Glitterin’ Goldie is startin’ to enjoy domestic life…”
She just hummed softly for a moment before closing the gap between them and pressing her beak to his very gently, gliding her left hand from the back of his head to his whiskers so she could play with them a bit more. She pulled away after a few seconds. “I think I could deal with this every once in a while.”
He broke out into a huge grin and leaned over to peck her beak quickly before squeezing her tight around her middle, lifting her up, and spinning her around.
“Whoa, hey!” she squeaked as she held onto his shoulders. “Watch your back, Old Man!”
Scrooge laughed as he lost his balance and they both fell back onto the bed - Goldie dizzy on her back and Scrooge winded on top of her. It only took a few seconds before Goldie started laughing with him and then they kissed again, losing themselves in the moment and the memories.
A few minutes later and they were back to where they started - laying on the familiar bed and staring at each other.
“Any chance you’re really plannin’ to stay for dinner?”
Goldie huffed and held back a laugh. “Come on, Scroogey. No one besides you and Della want me taking up a seat at that table. And she’s probably on the fence about it still.”
He reached over and grabbed her hand, holding it in front of his chest. “Just come anyway. I have a feelin’ we’ll just be talkin’ about you whether you’re there or not. Might as well come and defend yourself.”
She laughed again and tugged her hand out of his grasp. “Well with an offer like that, how can a girl refuse?”
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aion-rsa · 3 years
Text
MCU Phase 4 and 5: What the Multiverse Means for the Future of Marvel Movies and TV
https://ift.tt/eA8V8J
This article contains Loki spoilers and potential spoilers for the wider MCU.
The ending of the Loki season finale made one pretty substantial change to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The introduction of a full multiverse, caused by Sylvie killing He Who Remains, is an enormous shift in the cosmogony of the MCU. And it opens up some fascinating story possibilities for Marvel’s film heroes. So what does the introduction of a full, unlimited multiverse mean for the future of the MCU?
Hopefully, everything. Literally.
There are obvious near-term implications to Loki’s finale. It answered questions that Spider-Man: No Way Home (with its purported multiversal Sinister Six) and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness asked back when Loki first premiered. Specifically: “What do you mean there’s only one universe?” 
The beauty of time travel is that now, there is and has always been a full multiverse in the context of the MCU. Because whatever Kang War happened far in Loki’s subjective past (because the timelines were left to run wild when Sophie killed He Who Remains), the entire history of the MCU is now potentially subject to retcons as necessary. So the strong implication from Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse that that movie and all its various spider-people existed on Earths parallel to Tom Holland’s MCU can now be considered accurate, even though the movie came out years before Loki was even a twinkle in Kevin Feige’s master MCU spreadsheet. 
Time travel is a trip, man. It’s also beautiful. Literally anything is possible now. 
What Does the MCU Multiverse Mean for Marvel TV?
This sort of thing happens all the time in comics. The slang is “retcon,” comics-speak for retroactive continuity, where creators reach into their characters’ pasts to change something that impacts their present. 
Loki’s infinite multiverse sets up the entirety of Marvel history for any number of retcons that the folks in charge might deem necessary. It allows current MCU casts and crews to cherry pick what they liked from old MCU projects and fold them into this new normal. All those times Agents of SHIELD didn’t quite line up with what the movies were doing? The show was on an alternate Earth! Want Ghost Rider back without the TV baggage? Blame it on a Kang!
And grabbing the stuff that worked from old projects means porting in the good actors, too. That means people like J.K. Simmons, the Platonic ideal of J. Jonah Jameson, can continue playing the role across from three different Spider-Men, or Charlie Cox and Vincent D’Onofrio can show up as Daredevil and Kingpin in Spider-Man: No Way Home while Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings nukes Netflix’s Iron Fist continuity from orbit.   Wondering how Ms. Marvel could potentially deal with concepts from the Inhumans without ever mentioning that disastrous TV show? Now we know. 
Could the MCU Multiverse Retcon Marvel Movies?
This same ability to pick and choose the continuity most appropriate for the story applies to decisions the movies made, too. A full multiverse lets future filmmakers bring back Chris Evans as Captain America or Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow (OK…maybe not ScarJo) without burdening the MCU with yet another time paradox. As far as we’re concerned, pre-Marvel Studios curiosities like all those crazy old live action Marvel TV shows or Howard the Duck or Dolph Lundgren’s take on The Punisher are now officially canon somewhere within the multiverse.  
Phil Coulson could show up in Phase 6 leading a Squadron Supreme (just like in the comics), out for vengeance against the Avengers because they let his Earth 20085 brother die. Hell, if they really wanted to get dirty, Nick Fury could hire Deadpool to kill Coulson in retaliation, like in the comics. Wait, that was Secret Empire,wasn’t it? Never mind, don’t do that. 
Anyway, you get the idea.
The possibilities are as infinite as the imaginations of the writers, limited only by Kevin Feige’s patience/sense of humor. Don’t expect anything too crazy: the time travel solution in Avengers: Endgame was wild, but before Loki, that was far and away the most ridiculous comic book science the MCU had trafficked in. Typical MCU adaptations include much more modest nods to comics’ wackier elements – Eternals pending – like secret societies that had taken over SHIELD or Kurt Russell being Chris Pratt’s dad. So that ultra-maxi series that starts out a movie, moves into a TV show, has a comic tie in that directly crosses over with the show, and wraps up in Avengers 6 that we’re all hoping will come to pass is probably not on the horizon.
The Crisis on Infinite Earths Problem
An infinite multiverse doesn’t just mean possibility. It has a trap built in, too. The biggest multiverse story of all time, probably the one that set the template for future interactions with the concept, was DC Comics’ Crisis on Infinite Earths. That book set the standard for multiversal destruction, collapsing DC’s infinite comics timelines down to one single Earth and one single timeline. Gone were the separate Earths for the modern Justice League and the World War II Justice Society, replaced by one, unified timeline. And while the comic itself was a masterpiece, miraculously balanced by Marv Wolfman and beautifully drawn by George Perez; what it wrought on the DCU was 30 years of explainers why the Green Lantern of World War II still looked 35, or why Batman has only been operating for five years but went through six Robins in that time.  
The cautionary tale here is one of inward looking stories versus expansionary choices. Post-Crisis DC retcons were about fixing problems the writers and editors perceived with the new timeline, and not about telling the best story they could with the characters and continuity they had. This is an easy trap for a new, expanded (but not all the way expanded) MCU to fall into. There are key pieces of the comics that haven’t been ported to the films yet. 
The Fantastic Four
The temptation is likely huge to use this new, beautiful, infinite multiverse to introduce the Fantastic Four and the X-Men to the MCU. That’s probably half of a good idea.
The cosmogony of the multiverse is ingrained in who the Fantastic Four are. Their story begins as explorers of the unknown – Reed Richards, Sue Storm, Ben Grimm, and Johnny Storm are bombarded with cosmic radiation after an unauthorized space launch. That origin is very of the time when they were created, and would probably hit different now when the only unauthorized space launches are led by giant assholes. So why not take a page from the end of Secret Wars and have them get their powers exploring the new multiverse? It makes so much sense to do it that way that one is almost suspicious of this entire retcon. But that doesn’t make it any less cool.
The X-Men in the MCU
While introducing the Fantastic Four to the MCU by saying they’ve been off exploring the multiverse would make a certain elegant sense, if Marvel tried to introduce the X-Men that way, it would be hugely problematic. 
The core concept of the X-Men is the mutant metaphor, the idea that mutants are hated and feared because of who they are. On a completely superficial level, this is nonsense: what’s the difference between Cyclops’ eye blasts and Captain Marvel zapping Kree ships with fist beams? Why are mutants singled out for scorn and bigotry when someone like Doctor Strange has MUCH more terrifying abilities?
The difference is the idea that mutants are humanity’s destiny. There’s no concern that the majority baseline human population is going to someday be replaced by handsome super-soldiers or radioactive Catholic lawyers. But that genetic distinction – the idea that Magneto and Apocalypse and Pixie and Skids all share a distinct identity, while Captain America and Daredevil and Dr. Druid and Tigra do not – creates tension that allows real world out groups to superimpose their struggles onto X-Men comics and makes them infinitely relatable.
As superficially attractive as the idea of plopping the mutants on their own parallel Earth might be (and trust me, this definitely seems like the simplest justification for keeping Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine and Ryan Reynolds’s Deadpool in the MCU while jettisoning anything else that is less appealing for audiences or studio execs), putting the mutants on their own separate Earth strips that struggle from the story and makes them just another cape crew.
Worse, using the multiverse as justification that suddenly mutants are here because they came from a parallel timeline disrespects the marginalized people who identify with the X-Men who, like left-handed people, have been here the whole time. Whether society noticed or not.
The Sony Spider-Man Problem
What keeps me up at night about the new Marvel multiverse is the Spider-Man family. The Marvel/Sony relationship has always been…complicated. 
cnx.cmd.push(function() { cnx({ playerId: "106e33c0-3911-473c-b599-b1426db57530", }).render("0270c398a82f44f49c23c16122516796"); });
While the new multiverse provides creators with endless storytelling opportunities that could expand the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it also sets up an easy out for the studios to separate the Spider-Man movies from the rest of the MCU. Cleaving off the Spider-family movies wouldn’t be great – I don’t need to be reminded of complicated business deals while I’m at the movies. Dedicating all of a future Spidey movie to explaining why Pete isn’t in the master MCU and can’t talk about Iron Man anymore would almost certainly be a nightmare.
But these inward-looking continuity fixes are the types of stories that Marvel, on page and on screen, has generally avoided (before you jump in the comments to shout “CLONE SAGA” please take into account how much work “generally” is doing in this sentence) with its big multiverse stories. Hopefully they’ll keep making those wise decisions going forward.
The post MCU Phase 4 and 5: What the Multiverse Means for the Future of Marvel Movies and TV appeared first on Den of Geek.
from Den of Geek https://ift.tt/2Vqw7iX
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jjyusmile · 4 years
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finders keepers | lee jaehyun
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hyunjae (lee jaehyun) | finders keepers
pairing: hyunjae x {female} reader!
word count: 2,293
note: so i was literally lying with my dog and immediately thought of hyunjae and dogs bc my mind often wanders to hyunjae,,, so enjoy!
_____________________________________________________________________
“Present! Here boy! Bring it back, come on… bring back the tennis ball!”
You noticed a guy attempting to get the attention of his dog, and failing. His dusty hair was perfectly styled, so much so that it didn’t move an inch when his head whipped around to follow the movements of his golden. He must’ve still been in his puppy years, taunting the guy in a lunge whilst holding the tennis ball in his mouth, ready to pounce. This was park not too far from your house – a haven for multiple humans and four-legged friends in the evenings.
You turned your attention to Luna who laid with her head on your feet. Near the bench under the sycamore tree was her favourite spot to park under on a warm summers evening. The lilac blanket creased underneath as you wriggled to get comfortable; over an hour of playing with your four-legged friend made you both tired and desperate for relaxation. You shifted your weight onto your left elbow to flick the page of your latest novel and Luna’s head popped up as if she thought it was time to play again.
The way her pointed ears perked up with joy made you smile. Your one year old corgi had listened to you complain about everything with those ears, and yet, they still perked up with interest every time. You threw the toy that she had rested by your hip just moments before she conked out at your feet; her little legs ran quickly as she snapped up the toy like it was her lifeline. So dramatic, you chuckled.
“Why are you so cute!” She excitedly bounced around you and you took her small head between you palms giving her all the pats she deserves.
But quickly her attention was stolen by bounding golden fur coming toward you, knocking you down onto your blanket as the intruder chased at Luna tangling you in a mess with her leash. As they continued to chase one another, you looked around for the dog’s human.
Much to your annoyance, you spotted the same tall, dark haired boy who stood a few meters away in a prime filming position; the phone in one hand and a deep red leash dangling from the other. A boisterous laugh burst from him as he slapped his ripped denim knee with joy – that was a sound that you’d never heard before, and wanted to hear more of. But at this precise moment, you wanted nothing but to drag him by the ear to calm his dog down.
But it all ended quicker than you thought, when he lowly whistled and the excitable golden retriever left both you and Luna sat in shock as he bounded over to the boy in denim. It happened so quickly you didn’t even have a moment to call him out before they left the park.
With a huff, you packed up your blanket and picked up the end of Luna’s leash, that you managed to untangle yourself from, and headed home.
***
Perched under the sycamore week later, your cube speaker played soft jazz as you relaxed from the intense week at work. You were laid on your front with your legs fluttering to the sound of the beat; your coral dress was complimented by the golden sunlight that glimmered when you shuffled into a new position. In front of you were the chocolate covered strawberries and the crossword puzzle you had been saving for this very moment.
Luna had laid not too far from you on the grass, chewing on the cut-up strawberries you prepared especially for her. It was peaceful this evening, the numerous sounds around you mingling together against the melody: children laughing in the playground a short distance away, maintenance finishing up the rounds on a lawn mower nearby, the subtle sounds of metal clanging from the piped artwork dangling from the tree above you. The smell of the freshly cut grass put you at ease.
After breathing in the addicting scent a few more times, you focused on the pocket-sized book beneath you.
8. Six letters: the incorrect use of a comma.
You pondered for a moment. Gosh, you should’ve paid more attention in your literature classes at school. Six letters. You tried every literature technique you could think of…
“Splice”, a voice said from beside you. You jumped in shock as you looked up to find a familiar face - the proximity of the familiar figure you hadn’t noticed until he spoke. But your shock washed away when you saw that said figure held one of your chocolate covered strawberries in his hand and ready to place in his mouth.
“Do you often invade someone’s personal space?” you snapped, annoyed at him for ruining your peaceful moments, but more so at yourself for letting him get the reaction he wanted. How did he reach for the delicious treat without you noticing?
Beside you, a familiar flash of gold mixed with Luna’s black and fawn fur. Her yelps of excitement joined with low barks from the stranger’s dog.
“Number twelve, twenty letters. Look up.”
Your eyes shot down to the page that he had pointed to, a confused expression morphed your previously irritated one. Yet, you saw his eyes glimmer with a knowing look – know it all.
Looking down back, you matched it to the instructions written in cursive.
12. Twenty letters: also, known as ‘platanus occidentalis’
“No, that’s six letters”, you huffed, wiping your fringe out of your eyes that blew with the wind that had picked up.
He grinned down at you and crouched to meet your eye level. Slightly mesmerized, you wondered what on earth he was about to do. His hand stirred in your peripheral vision, coming into view with a finger pointing upwards. You focused a little too long on the rings that clad his finger, making them appear slender but strong. It took you a few moments to realise what he meant. So, you looked up and sighed.
Sycamore.
Losing your train of thought, you hadn’t noticed that same finger that had pointed you to the prize start to brush your fringe out of your face and behind your ear, lingering for a few moments until your wide eyes snapped back to him.
But, the wink that followed was the last thing you saw as he quickly stood from his squat and turned to walk away, calling his dog in the process.
The pink that stained your cheeks got deeper as your face flushed.
Who is he?
***
You sat under the familiar tree with the intention of bumping into the stranger a few days later. His actions irritated you to no end, but something stirred within you that left you more excited than irritated to be in his presence again.
You had finished the chocolate covered strawberries already – this time, keeping a close eye on the pleasant treat.
You weren’t relaxed as you watched Luna gnaw at a stick she had found in the bushes. Your eyes darting from her to any stranger that came a little too close. This stranger had too much of an impact on you for only having met him twice – once with minimal conversation.
It wasn’t long before you notice him enter the park with Present, a smile on his face as the golden dragged him leash first to the ice cream cone that a child had dropped moments ago. Eyeing the interaction, the action made your smile match his and your gaze lingered on him for longer than you had anticipated.
He was lean. He wasn’t hugely muscly, but his body filled out in all the places you found attractive. The white t-shirt he was wore complimented the melanin in his skin and his smile lit up his entire face – the way his eyes crinkled as he threw back his head in laughter.
Your smile faltered as a blush came over your face. Luckily he noticed you after your gawking session. But it didn’t stop him from making a beeline from the park gate to the exact spot that you and Luna laid each visit. You averted your gaze quickly and opened the novel that was placed beside you, ready as a disguise from your look-out position.
As he came closer you noticed the slight sweat that dripped down the side of his face as you peered over the book, the ends of his auburn hair slicked to his face. That moment you noticed the grey sweatpants that accompanied the t-shirt that clung to his skin with a red bandana tied around his wrist that matched Present’s leash. He must have been for a jog.
Stop staring, you’re being weird!
You focused back on the book that happened to be upside down. A subtle rotation of the book didn’t go unnoticed to the man that approached you, he chuckled as he neared.
“Have you read Ulysses so many times that you could literally read it upside down? I don’t think even James Joyce himself could do that…” he questioned, whipping his forehead with the bottom of his shirt. The slight definition of his stomach didn’t go unnoticed by you either. But your preparation of his moment followed you to focus back on his question before you embarrassed yourself completely.
“No. I was… uh- distracted by Luna! She must’ve found a worm and she started barking really loudly!” Your tone was nervous, as was your forced laughter.
“Luna. So, that’s your name.”
He leaned down to give her a pet on the top of her head, which caused her to jump up as her paws rested on his squatted knees. His lips pulled up into a toothy smile as his attention focused on the way her ears perked up to his attention. “Cute.”
You rolled your eyes – everyone found Luna cute, it was nothing special.
“And the name of her lovely human?” You didn’t miss the way his eyes sparkled in a teasing way.
After contemplating for a few moments, you told him your name, to which he replied, “Jaehyun” with his hand stuck out awaiting a handshake.
It didn’t take long for the conversation to shift from an awkward first {third time lucky} encounter to a flowing discussion between lifelong friends. You sat a short distance apart on your blanket, snacking on the mixed nuts you had stashed in your picnic bag. It dawned on you after an hour or so how easy Jaehyun was to talk to.
“So… let me get this straight. Your name is Jaehyun, but your friends call you Hyunjae? What’s the point?”, you quizzed. You liked both names, but would rather call him by his preference.
“A friend I grew up with is also called Jaehyun, but he was born in February 1997, whereas I’m September. So, he got first dibs on the name and we flipped mine to stop the confusion. You can call me either, I don’t mind.” There’s that mischievous grin again.
You smiled back and became distracted by Luna’s attention to the movement of Jaehyun’s fingers along the blanket; both you and your four-legged friend mesmerised by this man. You pondered your next few words, concerned that he might take it the wrong way. Worth a shot.
“I think I’ll call you… Hyun!” 
He beamed at your nickname for him, directing his attention to the way your hand rubbed your arms from the chill of the breeze. He cursed himself for not bringing a warmer jacket just so he could give it to you.
“Present, cuddles!” Jaehyun pointed in your direction and before long the fluffy golden had parked his bum on your lap and the warmth spread through you.
Your joyous reaction made Jaehyun’s insides melt, an overwhelming heart-warming feeling. You couldn’t tell but behind his composed demeanour laid a slightly nervous one; Jaehyun fiddled with his rings contemplating how to continue the conversation you were both so invested in.
In the process, a single ring flew off his pinky finger and rolled across your blanket, landing in front of you.
Leaning around Present, you picked it up with a sly smirk, you looked Jaehyun in the eye and muttered, more flirtatious than you had hoped… “Finders keepers.”
His glimmering eyes matched the cheeky grin that made its way across his features as placed the ring meant for his pinky on your index finger. His eyes lingered for a moment at the way your skin glowed a desirable shade of orange under the evening sun.
To both of your dismay, the night was looming over your conversation and you decided it was best if you and Luna headed home. The disappointment soon disappeared when Jaehyun spoke up.
“So, I guess I’ll see you again? – Uh, I mean, I-I think Present would like that…” His ears tinged a shade of deep pink and his hands flew up to pat them a bit in humiliation. You smiled, nodding enthusiastically at his question.
As you stood up and rolled up your blanket into your bag, you realised in the process you had managed to swap fluffy friends during your hours of conversation. As you picked up Present’s leash to give to Jaehyun, he was already doing the same with Luna.
He took hold of the end quickly as you went to reach for Luna, but was startled by his alternative intention.
Reaching his hand toward yours, his pinky confidently wrapped through the leash handle and around your own, holding it firmly. The action brought a mixture of a blush and shock in a wave across your features as you looked up at him.
Your gaze lingered on each other for a moment before Jaehyun spoke up with a content grin.
“Finders keepers.”
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nightowlfandom · 4 years
Text
Prompto Argentum- Under The Waterfalls
These times may seem dark, but this too shall pass. I hope that I can work extra hard to brighten someone’s day throughout these next few weeks.
Masterlist here
Let’s Begin.
...
"You know what I just noticed?" you asked aimlessly to no one. It was probably one of the hottest days of the year and you and your friends had decided to just load up the car and take a drive somewhere. You didn't know if camping, hunting, chilling at the beach or whatever would come from this trip, but whatever happened was gonna be an adventure.
"What would that be?" Ignis chuckled from from front seat, already knowing what you were gonna say. It was a routine thing that you always did. You always found something about one of the guys you liked on a particular day. "What ever could it be this time?"
"Hold on, I'm thinking." you tapped your chin. "Gladio finally finished that 30 book series he was working on!" you suddenly said, looking over at the taller muscular guy who was nose deep in yet another book you probably didn't know the name of. "Ignis learned five new recipes this week! Noctis caught three rare fish in a row in the same place!" you continued.
"What about me?"
Prompto turned his head to look at you as he had been sitting in the front seat. He narrowed his eyes at you as if assuming you wouldn't have mentioned him in the first place. Call it paranoia, but you weren't too sure Prompto necessarily liked you. Sure he was nice and everything, but there was something about when you would try to talk to him. You didn't know if he just hadn't warmed up to you or secretly wanted you to get run over by a train.
"….Your hair is super floofy today!" you said. You resisted to urge to reach out your hand to touch it. "…and you have a Chocobo feather stuck too." you put a hand over your mouth to resist laughing too loudly.
"Huh?!?" he instantly turned away from you, looking in the side view mirror to see a large neon yellow feather stuck to the top of his hairstyle. "Awh man!" he groaned. "I'll ruin my hair if I try to take it out!"
"Then keep it in! I think it makes you look cool!" you commented!
"Really?" His tone had changed from partially annoyed to curious. "Like it works for me?"
"One hundred percent!" you replied.
"And that concludes thing 576 Y/N noticed today." Noctis joked, nudging your shoulder. "What will it be next week?"
"Now why would I reveal my secrets! That's something between me and well-….me!" you warned.
"Ah I see! A magician never reveals her secrets." Ignis laughed as he pulled the car to a stop.
"Camping…why am I not surprised." you grumbled lowly. There was a waterfall nearby the campsite. The water rushing through the river was crystal-like, clear as the cloudless sky. "At least it's not that disgusting swamp from last time."
"Yeah, I wonder whose idea that was." Gladio glared over at Noctis.
"It was the perfect fishing spot!" he protested.
You could only shake your head as you walked around to the trunk. You were about to grab one of the bags when a pale hand grabbed the hand before you could.
"I got this."
"Oh, Prompto! It's okay, I can carry it-" you tried to say.
" When a man offers you help, take it." was his reply. Without another word, he grabbed the other bag you had reached for then turned away, walking off to set up the tents. "Remember what happened last time." you could hear him mumbling. Of course he was referring to the time you grabbed something really heavy and took an entire ten minutes just to drag it along to the car.
"Right." you tried to laugh it off. You were left to your own devices after a while, the boys never asked you to help with anything. Them and their traditional ways. You tried to carry a cooler by yourself once, the next thing you know Ignis is scolding Noctis for letting you carry it alone. "Thanks for the tip." you mumbled sadly.
Okay, you may or may not have had a thing for Prompto since…well since you met him. You were really good at hiding it … from him. Only him in particular, he just didn't seem to like you much. Not even as an acquaintance. It felt like he only tolerated you because you were part of the team, but other than that. Did he even see you as a friend? Not in your eyes.
 (Meanwhile)
"You did it again, idiot." Noctis flicked his best friend in the back of the head. Prompto threw down the bags, turning to face the raven-haired male.
"What are you talking about?"
He motioned towards you who was currently having a chat with Ignis who was setting up the cooking station. It took Prompto a second to register what he was referring too. When he realized it, he wound up kicking something.
"AAH FUCK!" he snapped, realizing he rammed his foot onto a boulder in the process. "Damn it!"
"For someone who threatens us on the daily to stay away from Y/N, you're doing a terrible job of marking your 'territory'." He used finger quotes. You didn't belong to Prompto, not even a little. However, the way he talked about you to the others had them thinking he was living in a fantasy land when he said you were off limits.
He didn't intend to come off and rude and mean but for some reason, he always did when it came to you. He didn't know how to explain it, other than the way he knew best. Stay away from you and there wouldn't be any problems. Ignis however must have decided to ignore such a demand.
He could only watch in fury as you laughed at something Ignis said. It must have been real funny because you were holding your sides.
"That little….four eyed miscreant!
"…Do you even know what miscreant means?"
"Shut up!"
...
By the time night fell, you were far from sleepy. You snuck off from the campsite with a towel and a change of clothes. Alone time! Sweet! That sweet waterfall was just begging to be dived into. You tip toed around the tents and as soon as you were far enough, began jogging towards the lake.
You tilted your head to look up at the waterfall. You could see the moon peeking out from the mist of water that followed the falls down to the clear pool. You set down your stuff at the edge of the lake.
Off came your shoes, then your pants, then the shirt. You turned your head towards the campsite. You could barely make out the tents from afar. "It'll be fine." you unclasped your bra. "Not like they're gonna wake up any time soon." you mumbled, letting it fall to the grass. "Off you go demons." you let your undergarments fall to the ground. Without a second thought, you jumped into the water, making a huge splash. You just prayed none of your stuff got wet.
As you surfaced, you allowed yourself to just float for a moment. You stared up at the night sky, it was clear and cloudless. The stars scattered across the sky and the moon was so close you felt like you could touch it with your fingers. The moonlight shone down on the waters, casting a glow over you and everything around you. You waded over to the waterfall, moving behind it to peek out of the distorted lens. You reached out your hand to touch the falling droplets. You sat yourself on a rock, kicking your legs in the slightly warm water. Nothing could possibly ruin this peaceful moment-
"You should be sleeping."
You turned your head to the left, only to see a half dressed Prompto. Apparently he had found the back entrance to the lake. Both of you were hidden from the open space behind the falls, so it didn't worry you too much, but that didn't explain why he was here.
"HOLY SH-!" you instantly crossed your arms over your chest, covering your breasts. " What are you doing!?"
"Hey! It's only me!" You watched his and he unbuckled his belt. "And keep your voice down! You'll wake everyone up."
"D-don't take off your clothes!" you began freaking out. "I was trying to relax here!." you whined.
"Am I not allowed to relax too?" he pulled down his pants and threw them over a rock.
"Not when I'm practically naked!" you snapped. "Did you follow me?"
"I saw you leaving, I just wanted to make sure you were alright!"
"Why would you do that? " you scoffed, turning your head away from him. "You barely even like me." That also didn't explained why he was currently stripping down to his birthday suit!
"You don't know what I like."
"Well I know how you act towards me. It's enough."
Prompto peeled off what was left of his clothes and got into the water. His ducked his head under the waterfall, drenching his hair. He ran his hands through those blonde locks, washing all his stress away. He seemed to not be phased by the situation at all.  "You gonna stare at me all day or what?"
"Please. I wasn't looking at you." you lied through your teeth. Yeah, that was believable. You both were literally two feet away from each other, which was really close now that you really thought about it. You turned your head the other way. Whatever, no way in hell were you leaving.
"Beautiful, isn't it?" he said after a while.
"Very."
There was an awkward silence between you two. You had never been left alone with Prompto before, and especially not in the nude.
"Been a while since I got to just enjoy a night like this."
"Tell me about it." you replied with a laugh. "Seems like we're always busy with something. Wouldn't be surprised if we had something to do in the morning." you turned your head towards him to find him running his hands through his dripping wet hair.
"Don't jinx it, because it actually might happen." He cracked a smile for the first time since he got there.
"Just stating facts." you slowly turned your head so you were looking straight at him. Your arms were still crossed, forbidding him from seeing anything. "You know how Ignis is with his missions."
"Where the lie in that?" He joked, making you laugh as well. Prompto tried to not let his eyes wander. "Why did you run off anyways?"
"Like I said, this is probably the only time I'll have to myself for a while. I'm taking advantage of it." you shrugged. "Speaking of Ignis, he was talking about you today."
"About what?" He narrowed his eyes into a glare. "What did specs say about me this time?"
"It wasn't anything bad. He was just talking about you liking me or something." you giggled at the thought. "I was laughing because of how unrealistic that thought was. You'd think for such a smart guy, Ignis would make his observations more clear. No way in hell would the be possible, right?"
Prompto stared blankly at you. He went from staring to slowly taking a step, then another then another. It was almost predatory with how he was moving in the water.
"Uh….right?" you nervously laughed again. "P-prompto?" you tightened your arms across your chest to the point where it was starting to ache. You were slowly but surely growing more and more nervous.
"Wrong." were his last words before he grabbed you by the waist and pulled you close to his warm body. He abruptly pressed his lips against yours. It felt kind of weird since he was anchoring his body over your arm, so you lowered them. Your felt your breasts push up against his broad chest as he comfortably tightened his arms around your waist. He was surprised how easily you melted into his touch but happy nonetheless. It took all your strength to not collapse against the rocks. You ran your fingers against his wet hair, gently pulling at each strand. You heart at this point was racing a million miles a minute
When Prompto pulled away, his entire face has flushed a deep pink color. Whether from embarrassment or lust, you couldn't tell. He stared down at you with hooded eyes and an unreadable expression. "You look so-…so damn hot right now."
The way your chest rose and fell so heavily, your innocent expression, those water droplets traveling down your neck, drip down your chest. "W-wait. Don't you have a thing for Cindy?"
"Used to." he corrected. "That changed a long, long time ago. Now all I can think of is you. All I fucking want is you." He began trailing prolonged sloppy kisses on your shoulder.  You tilted your head to the side to give him more access to your shivering skin. You absentmindedly wrapped your legs around his waist, giving him permission to go further with his actions. "I can see you feel the same way." he laughed. Only this wasn't his usual happy-go-lucky laugh. His voice was deep, vibrating almost. He almost sounded like he was growling with every word. "My question is…how far are you going to let me take this."
(….Yeah I couldn't finish this or else this would have been longer than a Game Of Thrones book. So what happens next is left to your discretion. See you next post.)
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hero-philia · 4 years
Text
One out of Twenty
This is my present for @new-noveltea​, who was assigned to me as part of the BNHA Spring Time Event (@bnhaclaimedmysoul​) - Because she doesn’t ship herself with someone, I decided to go for a platonic story! I hope that you like it, Ash (^o^)
Summary: First days are hard, especially if you don't understand a word of what’s going on around you. But the enterity of class A is here to help you out! (English dialogue is written normally, Japanese dialogue in italic)
Words: 2856
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On this particular morning you found yourself following a man that you had only heard of before. Completely dressed in black he didn’t seem like the most heroic guy, but people throughout the country called him such. Admittedly, it hadn’t been too easy for you to follow the news reports on TV, which featured a pretty fast spoken Japanese - A language that wasn’t yours in the first place.
The steps echoed through the empty hallway, where normally dozens of students were gathering. But the bell had sent them into their classrooms a few minutes ago when you had been waiting in the teachers’ lounge to make a fool of yourself in front of everyone. 
You gulped in order to suppress the memory how you had forgotten half of your introduction speech and had switched to English instead, even if you had known that most of your audience wasn’t able to understand you that way. At least you had earned quite some chuckles as you had changed the language in the middle of saying that your Japanese basically sucked, but that you were capable of speaking English.
For now you didn’t have to talk to anyone since the man in black didn’t seem to be interested in a conversation with you. He had simply advised you to follow him after the glorious embarrassment that many high ranked heroes had witnessed. What a good start.
Wherever the two of you were headed, you could just assume that it was your classroom. A room filled with strangers was waiting for you, maybe expecting you to come. Who knew what they had been told in advance. You didn’t know anything for sure at that point.
Nevertheless you hoped that you would be able to sit down again soon as sleep-deprivation was getting the best of you. The adrenaline in your body kept you awake and functioning, but your eyes started to feel heavy. Probably it hadn’t been the best idea to send you to school two days after your arrival in a completely different country with a new time zone. Last night the jet lag had robbed you of many hours of sleep, leaving you running on three - not consecutive - hours of rest. 
On a Monday. At eight in the morning. Definitely not the ideal combination.
Your teacher didn’t leave a lot of space for thinking when he stopped next to a gigantic door. For a second you fought the huge to look up in shock until it opened with ease. Once it had swung open, you caught the first glimpse of your new classmates. 
With the backpack on your shoulders you straightened your back and put on a smile before stepping in. Nineteen pairs of eyes followed the movements of their teacher, though many scanned you as soon as they had noticed your figure. Except for a pretty grumpy looking blonde in the second row and a another boy, whose red and white hair got your attention, with absolutely no expression on his face, everyone seemed like they wanted to ask questions about your presence.
Without caring about the reaction your teacher walked to his desk only to sigh loudly. He went on with a monologue that you didn’t understand at all. The words he mumbled didn’t match any of the vocabulary you had learnt as preparation for your stay. Your thumbs started to twist around each other while you tried to translate at least one sentence.
To absolutely no avail you listened to the short speech, focused to not show your struggles openly. Finally a word came up that you had heard before - ryuugakusei. You celebrated the achievement with a growing smile, which wanted to disappeared when it hit you what that meant. Ryuugakusei happened to be translated as exchange student. It was your turn to speak again.
„Introduction, please,“ the man in the front announced in English with a look in your direction. 
For some reason a boy with curly green hair gasped aloud to hurriedly open his notebook and stare at you with curious eyes. His hand practically ready to write in the speed of light. As no one said something about it, you tried to refocus on the task.
The words of your Japanese introduction, that you had carefully constructed with the help of four online translators last night, deleted themselves for the second time today. Failing at the teachers’ lounge was one thing, but not being able to introduce yourself in front of your own class was something you didn’t want to risk.
So screw the rules!
You pulled out your phone from the pocket in your skirt - god bless whoever made that decision - and opened the notes with your sentences. Before anyone would even have the time to stop you, you began to read them out loud. Saying your name, your age, where you were from and many details more.
„I will stay for the entirety of your second year. Let’s do our best together!“ You concluded in the end. 
Of course you took a short bow while your classmate gave you a round of applause for whatever motivation. Probably to praise your bravery, because your grammar and pronunciation must have been off completely. Then your teacher allowed you to sit down at the empty seat behind the green-haired boy. 
The following lesson progressed pretty much as you had expected it to. Not that you understood what it was about, though you could finally switch off your brain for a few minutes and silently take a breath. 
Shortly after, the bell sent you back into attention mode. You watched how everyone got up, went to the wall to your left, grabbed a box with a number and aimed for the door. While you were pretty much busy with trying to figure out what was going on, someone placed their hand on your shoulder. A girl with dark hair in a ponytail stepped into your sight.
„My name is Yaoyorozu Momo and I’m one of two class presidents. Our next lesson is quirk training at the gym, so just follow me. Your costume is waiting there as well,“ she said in a soft voice. 
„Your English is really good,“ you blurted out in surprise. „Thanks for telling me! I’ll be in your care, then.“
On your way to the gym the hallways were filled with students that were also changing their rooms right now. Even though the floor had looked kind of pretty in its empty state, seeing it being crowded gave it the impression of actually being in a school. No matter how many people you passed, most of them still stared at you. 
„They are excited to see a foreigner here. In Japan we aren’t used to being around people from Europe or America, that makes you really special,“ Momo explained with a giggle.
Her explanation made sense, yet you wondered why they were more excited to be faced with a foreigner than your classmates with quirks that affected their appearance. You literally had a boy with tentacles and a person with a bird head in your class. Having such a quirk was seemingly more common than being a foreigner, you thought. 
This whole center of attention thing went on in the locker room where you got reunited with your hero costume. A while ago you had handed it to an official of the exchange program at your home school and never saw it again. Until now. 
„You look really cool! I’m Ashido Mina. Call me Mina,“ a girl with pink skin commented. Her English pronunciation wasn’t the greatest, but it was easy to understand her name. Finally someone that you could actually call by name. 
Thanks to her a huge round of introductions started with the girls. At the end you knew like three names for sure, half of them to a certain extent and the rest was forgotten. 
Unfortunately the lesson itself asked even more of your brain since every student was asked to demonstrate his or her quirk. From what you could tell, some of them had arranged complete shows to present their abilities. Only you were attending without a certain plan, but the teacher hadn’t chosen the water area of the USJ for nothing. 
The blonde boy set off various explosions while yelling like crazy, a red-head didn’t even flinch when his hardened skin collided with the fire, another boy with black hair escaped the water last minute before a second blonde electrified the whole artificial lake. Last but not least Mina improvised a dance with elements of her acid simply consuming the ice that the boy with the scar and the resting bitch face had created.
„Okay, you are next,“ Momo made sure to let you know. 
When you stepped out of the group of students, you swore that the boy, who had been called ‚Deku‘ by the angry fire guy multiple times, intently wanted to pull out his notebook that obviously wasn’t there because he was wearing his hero costume. 
You bowed a little in front of your classmates to get their attention, „Please watch me!“
These very few Japanese words were certainly enough to do so, which made you feel their glances while you were walking up to the water. Your movements made the skirt part of your dress jump a little, but you didn’t have to worry about showing too much skin thanks to the pair of black shorts underneath.
„Our little exchange student knows what a lake is, doesn’t she? Can’t wait to see her face when she finds out that the water is not carrying her,“ Bakugou joked with crossed arms. For him and all the others it looked like you were headed for a dive. 
Instead of stopping at the sandy area, you continued to walk even after your shoes had touched the water. Like walking on normal ground you went on as if nothing had changed, causing the first mumbles of your classmates. 
In the middle of the lake you stood still, not moving at all. Everything you did was to focus on the water and the energy inside of your body as you took deep, yet calm breaths through your nose. Even your eyes were closed. From their perspective it looked like you had no idea what to do now that you had made it there. But then you opened your eyes, unknown to them.
Out of nowhere a huge wave surrounded you while it pushed itself towards the coast into all directions with your position being the center. Your classmates only gasped at the growing wall of water that was making its way into their direction. They lost sight of you when you disappeared behind the water. 
Preparing themselves to go into defensive mode, they didn’t know what was going on or what your intentions were. Soon enough you broke through the surface from behind, again using the water like normal ground and simply touching the monstrous wave with your index finger. 
As it had never existed, the wave got smaller within seconds. In the blink of an eye the lake returned to its not harmful state. 
„SHE DIDN’T EVEN GET WET!“ Mina cheered at the realisation that you had bursted through water, stopped a gigantic tsunami and walked on water without the tiniest sign of a water stain on your clothes or hair. 
An absolutely strange battle broke out when half of your class gathered around you during a heated conversation with each other. At some point you were sure that you understood the word quirk, but that was as much as you were able to translate again. So you tried to not look too confused once your mind wanted to convince you that you had heard ‚lunch‘ somewhere in between. Too many voices to keep track of asked you things that you didn’t even understand.
„Everyone! Back in line! This behaviour is inappropriate for future heroes. Just imagine how our new classmate must feel in a situation like this!“ The main class president interrupted the chaos, at least that was what you remembered from Momo. 
„But we want to talk to her!“ A third blonde boy exclaimed directly next to you, shooting a wink of glitter at you.
„Right, we need to talk to her!“ This time it was Mina that spoke, or rather yelled.
„You just want to have her all for yourself!“ Somehow this statement from the electricity dude shut up everyone, except for the class president that suddenly sounded like he was defending himself from accusations. 
Even after a few minutes had passed nothing really changed. You were still standing in the middle of people that were arguing with each other, especially since the teacher had ended the lesson. And you hadn’t gotten closer to finding out what the whole issue was about until Momo finally decided to help you out.
„They are fighting because all of them want you to join them at lunch. Welcome to the chaos that is called class 2-A.“
So they did what every aspiring hero with pride would do to solve such a problem - A representative of each squad had to participate in a battle of rock, paper, scissors. 
Several disappointed grumbles and screams of victory later Mina pointed her hand towards the ceiling: „I WON! SHE WILL EAT WITH US! THE ONE AND ONLY BAKUSQUAD!“
Everyone went back to their own squads, which made you realise that your translator wouldn’t be around during lunch. She had offered to come along, but Mina and three boys had told her that they would be fine. In the meantime you questioned at least Mina’s English skills when you got changed again.
In her excitement the pink girl practically dragged you back to the classroom where you grabbed your lunch and were then pulled to a place outside the building. Early in the morning it had been too cold to go out without a jacket, but now the warm sun of spring warmed your skin. 
It didn’t need any words to express your awe once you got to see the meeting place of the BakuSquad: A gigantic tree that blossomed in a corner of the yard. 
Wherever you looked at the ground, it was covered in white to pinkish petals from the tree and this way it wasn’t a big surprise that you had some of them on your head only a few moments after your arrival. The boys were already waving at the two of you arriving, except for the explosion boy as you had named him for now.
You sat down on one of the wooden benches that were standing around the tree, allowing you to sit close to the others but not too close to feel cramped. The first thing you did was to explain your quirk without words because your Japanese wasn’t good enough. 
Four of them widened their eyes at the sight of the water from your bottle hovering in the air above the ground. There you parted them into to two floating bubbles with only the movements of a finger to show what you could do. One bubble froze to ice, the other began to boil from the increasing heat you were providing, yet again with nothing more than a gesture. 
„But I can’t undo it, if I change their form. Now I’ll have to wait for the water to cool to drink it and I’ll use the frozen part as ice cubes to fasten the process,“ you admitted. 
You were met with questioning eyes that were exchanging glimpses with each other like they were trying to communicate. Just like that your smile turned into a rather insecure smirk.
„Idiots, she said she can’t undo it,“ a different voice grumbled. „And you definitely need to learn more Japanese to not fall behind in the future!“
It caught you quite off-guard that the explosion boy out of all people was able to speak English on such a high level. His scolding left you speechless for a moment and it stayed like this long enough for the others to regain their voice.
„Ooooh, Bakubro, what would we do without you?“ The boy with black hair said dramatically with the back of his hand touching his forehead as he leaned back a little. Not to be forgotten should be his very broken English and heavy accent, which he maybe did on purpose.
„We really love youuuuuuuu,“ the red-head followed suit.
All four of them launched themselves at the grumpy blonde at the same time, making him fall over in the process as he cussed words that no one would voluntarily translate. His friends didn’t get demotivated from his reaction and continued to hug him until he was about to use his quirk out of mere revolution purposes.
But they all turned around to look at you when you bent over laughing at the sight of them. Soon enough they giggled along, except for the explosion boy of course. Though even he had to admit that he had to suppress a chuckle. 
Welcome to the chaos that is called class 2-A!
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Posted: April 28th 2020 | Requests: Open | Match-ups: Closed
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hitoshishins-hoe · 5 years
Text
Heaven
Barbarian!Bakugou x Fem!Reader
Alright y’all! So I got a ton of great feedback on my fantasy au headcanons, and I was asked by several people on discord to write a one-shot based on my Bakugou headcanon, and so that’s what I decided to do! It is a bit long, and I may have gotten a little carried away, but I hope you guys like it! As always, feedback is greatly appreciated!
Warnings/Triggers: swearing, slightly ooc Bakugou (I love soft Bakugou ok), nsfw, loss of virginity, unprotected sex
Tengoku - Translates to “Heaven” 
Tenshi - Translates to “Angel”
Inari - Japanese goddess of prosperity
Word count: 5k
‘Forever’ was never in the cards for Bakugou. He planned on living fast, hard, and rich. Kicking ass, pillaging, taking revenge — but running into you made him realize maybe there’s more to life than just vigilante work. 
“Get your ass up shitty hair, we have a city to burn!” Bakugou slaps Kirishima awake from a deep sleep. 
“Bro chill! I can’t shift now! I have to save my energy to burn said city! Why don’t we travel by foot? There’s a city nearby, maybe we can sleep on an actual bed for once?” He stretches awake, now getting dressed. 
“Nah fuck that. We can go if you want, but I’m setting up camp, I’m not staying in some nasty fucking inn.”
Kirishima sighs, but agrees. It’s not like he had much choice anyway. After all, Bakugou was his only family in this world.
After eating breakfast, the two men packed up their belongings and began the trek to Tengoku, a small village about a half a day’s hike into the mountains. 
“Y/N! How are you my dear? What’s that you have there?” You look up from the small fragment of wood in your hand, having just finished carving the tail of a dragon. 
“Oh, good morning Tenshi! I had a dream last night about a dragon. He was red and huge, and he had a scar over his right eye.” You laugh, rubbing the back of your neck unconsciously. 
“Y’know, where I come from, those dreams that seem to be too real for comfort are just prophecy for the future.” She smiles warmly. 
Your (E/C) eyes catch a glint of sunlight at that. “Really? You really think I’ll meet a dragon someday?” You smile off into nothing. 
“Of course I do! You’ve wanted to see a dragon since you were about knee-height. And, well, every dragon has a rider, don’t they? Maybe a nice young man will come along with it. You’ve been here too long, go out and meet someone!” She laughs, knowing you’d grown up in the small village and had never left. You had no reason to. 
“Very funny, Tenshi. I’ll tell that to my dream-dragon.” You roll your eyes, focusing back down at the half-carved fragment in your hand. 
She laughs and makes her way down the small unpaved road that ran through the town, mostly lined with small tents with fresh produce, vendors, and entertainers.
Tenshi was the town’s founder, having come from ‘across the sea.’ She’d never tell anyone more than that. No one knew her name either, but everyone had affectionately coined the name ‘Tenshi,’ meaning ‘Angel’. She was well into her 80’s at least, and she acted as the chief and village grandmother to those who needed it. 
You on the other hand were an artist. Having been raised in Tengoku by monks, you lived a quiet life. Soon into your childhood you picked up the craft of carving. You’d found a small arrowhead along the creek that ran through town and starting working away at a chunk of wood you found nearby. From then on it became a hobby, then a craft, and now an art form. You started selling them to passers-by on their way to other destinations, and it brought in enough money to buy you a permanent room at the inn with plenty to spare. 
-
After Tenshi leaves, you go back to carving the dragon, each scale identical to the last. 
“How much for that one?” You yelp at the gruff voice immediately in front of you. You collect yourself and glance down at your half-finished dragon. 
“O-oh! This one? Well it’s not finished yet, I’m about halfway finished with carving and I still have to dye it! Can I offer you one of my finished pieces?” You gesture to the small table in front of you. 
The man just shakes his head, motioning to your hand. “I want that one. How long’ll it take?”
You think for a moment, and tell him maybe another 1-2 hours before the dye would dry once the carving was finished. 
He nods and grunts, making his way behind your table to the grass behind you. You look at him confused, but let it go since he’s not bothering you. 
You quickly glance behind you, offering the man a small smile. “I’m (Y/L/N) (Y/N) by the way.”
He looks up at you. “Bakugou Katsuki. Pleasure.”
You turn around sitting down in the small chair behind your table, hunched over while you carve. The man behind you doesn’t speak, and neither do you. It goes on like this for roughly an hour, until he breaks the silence. 
“Have you ever seen a dragon?” He asks you. 
You look up from your piece and sigh. “No, but it’s always been my dream, literally. I had a dream last night about a dragon. That’s what this carving is based on. There were lots of little details I remember about it. Like how there’s a scar along it’s right eye, across it’s chest, and on it’s left wing. Oddly specific, huh?” You laugh. “Our villages leader, Tenshi, says that sometimes those dreams that feel too real to be a dream are actually prophecy. Cool huh?” 
Bakugou’s eyes widen a bit, realizing you’d just described his dragon, Kirishima. 
“What is it?” You ask, noticing his change in demeanor. 
“I–” he pauses, mulling over his next words. His slack jaw turns up into a grin. “You want to meet a dragon?”
Now it’s your turn to look confused. “Y-you know one? Seriously?” You pause for a minute. “You’d better not be fucking with me.”
He chuckles “Whoa whoa princess, who says I’m fucking with you? He’s a shifter, not a full-blooded dragon but shit’s all the same to me. Finish up that carving for me and I’ll take you to him.”
Your eyes light up, feeling the sincerity in his voice. You immediately turn back to your unfinished piece, continuing on the hundreds of intricate scales. You two strike up a conversation after, both retelling stories from childhood, up to now. 
Through talking with him you learn that he really had it rough growing up, never having a true family, much like you. He was always moving towns, doing everyone’s dirty work with little to no pay. One day he was abducted and sold into slavery at the ripe young age of 15. The man he was sold to was one of the most foul men to walk the earth. The only nice thing was his slave-mate, Eijirou Kirishima.
The two teens quickly became friends. Spending every day and night in shared quarters really gave two people time to get to know each other. Shortly after Bakugou was purchased, Kirishima confided in him that was actually a dragon-shifter. No one else knew, or else he’d either be thrown into a bidding-war, or murdered. Some envied owning a shifter, while others thought they were a sin against the balance of life itself. 
Bakugou and Kirishima continued working for their owner for another 3 years before they decided to make their move. Over time they’d taken careful note of other slave owners in the village, their schedules, how many spaces they owned, family or no family. They also managed to pilfer small amounts of money, both from their own master as well as others. 
After some reassurance from Bakugou, Kirishima was able to shift and light the village ablaze. They created a network of safe houses so the other slaves were able to reach safety before all the slave owners were burned into oblivion. 
They never looked back after that. 
You look on with awe as Bakugou relays some of his and Kirishima’s adventures, as they continued to make their way through small towns, identifying rotten people, and “taking care of them.”
“W-wow,” you finally muster. You look down at your now finished piece, turning it in your hand. “You both sound incredible.”
He chuckles at that. “Yeah, well, what can I say. We’re both pretty damn cool.”
You laugh faintly, turning back to place your figurine into a small tin of crimson dye, allowing it to sit there for several minutes.
You both sit in silence as you pull the dragon out of the dye and set it on a drying rack. 
“You mentioned you grew up in this town, right? Why haven’t you left yet?” He asks, standing to his feet. 
You think for a minute. “I guess I haven’t really had any reason to. It’s quiet and everyone knows me here, ya know? Sure we don’t have the best food, or the best artisans, but it’s nice here.” You reply, turning to the table in front of you. 
“You realize how fucking talented you are, right? You could make four times what you make here if you were to travel to different towns.” He says sounding slightly irritated. “Don’t you want to see what else the world has to offer?”
You grow quiet, the faint smile fading from your face. “I never said I didn’t want to, but leaving everything I know, on my own completely, terrifies me.” You look down at your feet, letting out a shallow sigh.
“You can always tag along with Kirishima and I you know. I’d never oppose to a beautiful woman on my arm.” 
You look at him with wide eyes, cheeks flush. 
“Y-you just met me, you’d really take a chance on me? What if I’m a murderer or something?” You laugh nervously. 
He lunged forward at you, pinning you to the ground. You let out a soft grunt as you hit the ground, his hand pinning your arms above your head as he straddles your hips. 
“If you were a murderer, you’d never let someone get the upper hand, right?” He gives you a shit-eating grin as you huff in protest. 
“Besides, don’t you want to ‘live a little?’”
Your face cheeks deepen red in embarrassment, noticing the slight bulge in his pants so close to your heat. 
He notices your blush and snorts, hauling himself off of you, pulling you up with him. 
“How much longer on that dragon?” He asks, nodding to the drying rack. You dust yourself off, trying to hide your fading blush as you go to look at the dragon. 
“Ah, looks like it’s done!” You reply excitedly. 
You pick it up and look it over, proud of your handiwork. You then reach for Bakugou’s hand, uncurling his calloused fingers and setting the figurine in his open palm. He brings it to his face and inspects it, eyes lit with curiosity. 
“This is fucking incredible, (Y/L/N).” He says, awestruck. 
You let out a quiet ‘thank you’ and stand quiet for a moment. “You can call me (Y/N), you know. I’m not a fan of formalities.” You reply. 
Bakugou nods. “Yeah, me neither. Just call me Katsuki. And how much do I owe you for this?” He asks reaching for his coin pouch. 
“No no no! Don’t worry about it!” You exclaim, waiving your hands at him. “Please, as long as I can see a dragon I don’t need payment. It’s fine, really.”
He grunts out a ‘fine.’ And stuffs the figurine into his cloak. “Want to go see that dragon now?”
You nod eagerly, packing up your stocked items and throwing them into a bag. “Let me drop these off at the inn on our way there,” you tell him as you put up a “closed” sign on the table. 
You two travel down the now mostly empty road, dusk quickly approaching as you reach the inn. You run up to your room to put your stock away, jogging down the hall as to not keep Bakugou waiting. You grip the dresser in your room, panting as you’d worn yourself out a bit. “Katsuki,” you mumble, enjoying the way his name rolled off your tongue. 
“Yes?” You hear Bakugou’s voice from behind you. You yelp, running out the door before you could muster up an embarrassing excuse as to why you were saying his name in the mirror. 
He chuckles and follows you closely, eyes now wandering to your figure. You had on a plain dress, though it looked a tad small, only accentuating your curves. He wanted to devour you right then and there, but that wouldn’t be very gentlemanly, would it?
He eventually takes the lead, leading you to his small camp about a half mile outside the town. You two arrive about 20 minutes later, as the sun dips behind the mountains.
“Kirishima! We have a visitor!” Bakugou yells at the tent, a tall red-haired man poking his head out. 
“Dude, I-” He stutters, gesturing to his small protruding horns and scales on his face. You miss this exchange as you’re admiring the surrounding forest, since you’ve never been this far up the mountain before. 
“It’s fine, she’s fine.” He states gruffly, turning to you, oblivious to his state. His eyes soften as he sees you looking around the forest, admiring the sights. You notice him looking and look down at your feet, embarrassed. “C’mon, Kirishima will show you tomorrow, why don’t you sleep here tonight?” He nods at the small fire Kirishima had going. 
You sheepishly agree and make your way over to the tent, Kirishima now sitting by the fire. He extends an arm to you. “Hi! I’m Kirishima Eijirou! You can call me Kiri.” He grins, mouth full of jagged teeth. His smile is warm, and you return it in kind. “(Y/N) (Y/L/N), please call me (Y/N),” you shake his hand and sit by the fire.
“Hey Bakugou, I gotta, uh...eat,” Kirishima says. “Go eat then,” Bakugou replies, sitting down between the two of you. “Don’t wait up,” he mumbles under his breath, the shifter understanding immediately. 
“Well (Y/N), it was nice meeting you! I’ll be gone for the rest of the night, but I’ll see you tomorrow, yeah?” He smiles, running off in the opposite direction of Tengoku.
Shortly after Kirishima leaves, you heave out a sigh and flop backwards onto the grass, looking at the stars. Bakugou looks down at you, still amazed at how oblivious you are. He eventually lays his head next to yours, grunting as his head hits the ground. “Ow,” he grumbles, having hit it harder than he intended. You laugh at the whack  sound his head makes, spinning into a fit of laughter when he starts whispering profanities at the ground. 
“Hey, what are you laughing at, princess? You think it’s funny?” You wipe away a tear as your laughs turn into sniffles. 
“Maybe a little bit,” you laugh again. 
“Uh huh. You ticklish, sweetheart?” he smirks, your face paling at his threat. 
“Shi-,” you barely get anything out before he has you pinned, hands attacking your sides. 
“N-no! Please s-stop! I can’t take it!” You cry, the tickling so intense your eyes fill with tears.
“If you want me to stop, make me,” he smiles smugly. 
Having gained a new wave of confidence, you take your knee up to his groin and rub against his bulge, eliciting a moan from Bakugou, distracting him just long enough to flip your bodies so you now straddled him. 
Now he’s the one to be taken aback by your sudden change of attitude. “Where’d this come from?” He asks, his hands settling on your hips. 
You lean forward, your hands finding his chest underneath his heavy pelt as you bring your face just inches from his. “You were the one that said I should ‘live a little’, right? That’s what I’m doing.” 
He smirks, hands gripping tighter to your thighs. “Alright then brat, show me whatcha got.”
You lock your lips against his, his breath hot against your nose as you start to grind against him. He lets out a breathy moan, giving you enough space to slip your tongue into his mouth, deepening the kiss. It’s not long before the bulge in his pants is now straining against the fabric.
You slowly remove his pelt, revealing a well-built but scarred chest. You move your lips to his neck, gently sucking on the skin just beneath his jaw. 
“Fuck,” he groans as you suck on his sweet spot. You trail your kisses down his chest, leaving love bites in your wake. 
“You done this before?” Bakugou looks down at you, your hands now grasping the waistband of his pants. 
“N-no,” you stutter. “I only know what the entertainers in town have told me.” he replies with a weak tch as you continue. 
You undo his belt and slip his pants along with his boxers down around his ankles, his cock springing free from the confining material. Your eyes go wide at the size of him, never having seen a dick in person before. Noticing your hesitation, he smirks down at you. 
“What, don’t tell me you’re gonna back out now,” he laughs tauntingly. “We’re just ge—fuuuuck!” His face tenses as you lick a long stripe against the underside of his cock. 
You slowly coax his hardened member into your mouth, throat clenching as you slowly start sliding it in and out. You start at a steady pace, using your hand where your mouth can’t reach. Bakugou moans as you grow used to the size of him, taking more of him into your mouth inch by inch. Bakugou slowly starts to buck his hips up into your mouth, beginning to face fuck you as your throat clenches with every thrust. Your eyes brim with tears as the tip repeatedly hits the back of your windpipe. Your core begins to ache with neglect as Bakugou’s hips begin to stutter.
“F-fuck, I’m going to come,” he breathes as he thrusts into your mouth a handful more times before your mouth is filled with his salty seed. 
You slowly slip his cock from your mouth as you gulp down the liquid, wiping your mouth as you do so.
He chuckles, smug grin returning to his face. “Not bad for a first-timer,” he says, flipping you both so that he’s now straddling your hips.
He leans in next your ear and whispers “My turn,” as he bites down on your earlobe, sending a jolt of pleasure up your spine.
He kisses up your neck and jaw to your lips, pressing his body to yours. He momentarily breaks the kiss, his hands snaking under your dress, pulling it up over your shoulders, revealing your bare chest.
He trails kisses down your neck softly sucking, leaving love bites as you did to him. One of his hands makes its way to your already hard nipple, lightly tugging on it while his tongue swirls your other bud, eliciting a small moan from you. 
He continues his assault down your front, kissing your soft curves as his lips reach your waistline. His vermillion eyes meet yours as his fingers hook the band of your underwear and slide them down until they’re discarded on the ground, his lips never leaving your body.
He kisses your inner thighs, sending shivers up your spine, your mouth now agape as your core aches with want.
“Already so wet for me,” he coos, warm breath fanning your now bare cunt.
You moan, shifting your legs open wider, giving Bakugou better access. He kisses your now soaking heat, slowly prodding you open with his tongue. 
“Pl-please go slow,” you whisper, threading your fingers through his slightly damp hair. 
He reaches a hand up to your face, slowly stroking your cheek reassuringly. 
“Don’t worry princess, I know what I’m doing.” he replies, sliding his hand back down to your waist. 
“Let me know if you’re ever in pain, okay? I’ll stop immediately.”
You give him a curt nod as he slips his index finger into his mouth, turning his attention back to what’s in front of him. 
He slowly slides his finger into you, causing you to clench in discomfort. He stays still for a moment before he slowly starts sliding his finger in and out of your heat, already dripping with your arousal. After a short while he adds in a second finger, his eyes continuously flicking up to your face to gauge your reactions. 
Your eyes are clenched in pleasure, soft moans and mumbles of his name falling from your mouth. “K-Katsuki,” you start, slowly opening your eyes.
“Yes, (Y/N)?” He asks, still sliding his now coated fingers in and out of you. 
“Please fuck me,” your cheeks flush at your outburst. 
He smirks at that, sliding his fingers out of you, as you sigh at the loss of contact. He licks his fingers clean and pulls himself up to you, kissing you more fervently this time. 
You taste yourself on your tongue as you moan, Bakugou slipping his tongue into your mouth. He reaches down to himself pumping his cock several times, long since hard again. He lines up with your entrance, breaking your kiss momentarily. 
“Are you ready?” he asks, meeting your gaze.
You eagerly nod, as he does as well. He slowly slides himself into you, as you wince with pain. His eyes never leave you, even as your eyes close as you focus on the mild pain as he slowly stretches you. You start to relax as he bottoms out, stilling there for a moment to give you time to adjust. 
After a heavy sigh from you, he begins to move, slowly at first, barely sliding several inches in and out of you. 
“You can move, Katsuki,” you breathe. 
He grunts in agreeance as he picks up the pace, balls slapping against your heat as he nestles his face into the crook of your shoulder. 
It isn’t long before you feel a knot in your stomach, on the verge of coming undone. 
“Katsuki, I–” you moan, eyes rolling into the back of your head as he continues to pound into you. 
You come with a flash of white, clenching around him as your vision blurs. The feeling of you squeezing around him so tightly sends Bakugou over the edge not long after, a strangled moan leaving him as he paints your insides white. 
After several more thrusts he slips himself from you, collapsing next to you, quickly pulling you to his warm chest. 
You two stay like that for a bit, both lightly panting from your orgasms. You slowly curl yourself into him, his arm wrapping around you as your sigh. 
“My offer still stands. You can come with us, you know.” He breaks the silence, as you slowly look up at him. 
His eyes meet yours as you quickly turn away, cheeks pink with slight embarrassment.
“I feel like I’d slow you guys down,” you sigh, readjusting yourself as the cold night air starts to register. “Besides, I don’t know if I’d even be useful.”
He rolls his eyes. “I wouldn’t ask you along if I didn’t want you there. I feel like you’d be able to help funnel people out while Kirishima and I handle the rest. You’re good with people, right? You’d be able to do a lot of fucking good, (Y/N). And besides, your work is too damn amazing to stay locked away here. Don’t stay cramped up in this little town the rest of your life. Do something, you know?” He says gruffly. 
You lay in silence for a moment, processing his proposal. You pull yourself to a sitting position, and Bakugou shortly follows suit. 
You turn to him, pulling his face to yours and kiss him gently. 
“You know what? Sure. Why not?” You grin, filled with fresh resolve. 
He smirks at that, pulling you back to his chest as he lays back down in the cool grass. He reaches for a discarded item of clothing and wipes the both of you up. He throws you your dress and you slip it back on, as he finds some clothing to put back on as well.
Using each other for warmth, sleep takes you both, sunrise still a handful of hours away. 
You awake with the sun, hazy oranges and purples dancing behind your eyelids as the sun drags up over the horizon. You pull yourself up, stretching as you yawn away your drowsiness. 
You look down at Bakugou, his mouth slightly agape as he slowly stirs awake. You smile, thinking about all the things you hoped to do. Sight-seeing, exploring new foods, selling your trinkets to new markets of people; the opportunities seem endless. 
“Hey! Glad to see you’re awake! I stopped by earlier but you two were still passed out, so I went into town and got some food!” You hear Kirishima’s voice to your left, his arms full of cloth sacks, presumably filled with food. 
“Good morning,” you reply, voice still thick with sleep as he hands you a bag. 
He sits to the right of you, Bakugou stirring on your left as you open the bag and start eating. 
Bakugou eventually sits up, rubbing his eyes as Kirishima hands him a sack as well, Bakugou muttering a low “thank you” as he still struggles to wake up. 
The three of you sit in silence for a while, as you all finish up your food. 
Bakugou is the first to speak up, setting his discarded wrappings on the ground beside him. “(Y/N) here’s going to join us, she can help evacuate people as we do the rest.”
“Sweet! You’ll fit right in!” Kirishima smiles, wrapping an arm around you.
“I do have to collect my things from town, and say goodbye to everyone, but I’m ready to go after that!” you smile back, taking a sip of water.
Bakugou stands up, taking everyone’s discarded food wrappings and throwing them into a sack as the three of you clean up camp.
As day breaks, the three of you make your way into town, conversing along the way.
Before long you reach Tengoku, the sun now high above your heads as you make your way to the inn. It doesn’t take long to pack your small number of things. You don’t have much more than a week’s worth of clothing, a hand-carved hairbrush, and a handful of figurines, as well as a couple of knives. 
The three of you walk back to the front desk, returning your key to the innkeeper, exchanging pleasantries and a tearful goodbye. 
You slowly make your rounds around Tengoku, wishing everyone well and promising you’d be back. 
The hardest person to leave is of course Tenshi.
At present she’s at the local shrine, paying her respects. The three of you stop at the bottom of the steps, as to not disturb her. 
“Can you guys give me a minute?” You ask hesitantly, placing your bag on the ground. The pair of men nod as you slowly make your way to the top of the shrine. 
“Hey Tenshi,” you start, gently placing a shaky hand on her shoulder. She opens her eyes and stands from her kneeling position and turns to you, tears welling in her eyes. 
She smiles softly, taking your hands in hers. “I was just praying for you,” she says, slowly rubbing circles into the backs of your hands. “I spoke with Inari this morning, and she told me what you set out to do, and I’m so very proud of you, (Y/N).” she gleams. 
You smile and bring her small frame to yours in a tight embrace, failing to hold back tears.
“You'll be back,” she says as you both pull away. “I know you will.”
You smile at that, knowing she knew better than anyone what the future holds. 
You make your way back down the steps, eyes still slightly puffy as you reach Kirishima and Bakugou. 
“You good?” Bakugou asks, handing you your duffel bag. 
You nod, assuring him you’d be fine. Kirishima hands off his bags to Bakugou and starts to stretch out his limbs as Bakugou drops the bags next to you. 
Your thoughts are pulled to Kirishima as you see him out of the corner of your eye stretching. You give him a sideways glance, slightly confused at what he was doing. 
Bakugou observes you and snorts. “Hey I promised you a dragon, didn’t I? He can’t transform if his damn limbs are stiff.”
You mouth an “oh” as Kirishima takes a deep breath and his skin begins to darken to a crimson red. 
A tail slowly protrudes from his lower back as he begins to grow in size. His arms lengthen to match his legs as they progressively become longer and thicker, ends coming to sharp onyx claws. His face elongates into a snout, his mouth lined with the same jagged teeth he adorns in his human form. Wings twice the length of his now massive body protrude from his back, varying shades of crimson and black, a scar running along the crease of his left wing. He shakes himself out, his scales catching the sunlight, reflecting tinges of black and purple. 
Honestly, you’re awestruck. You’ve never seen something so massive and beautiful in your life. Bakugou’s eyes never leave you, admiring your face of wonder. You slowly make your way around to Kirishima’s front, his eyes catching yours as he brings his face level with you. Your eyes immediately land on his notable scar over his right eye, and you reach out to it, brushing your hand over his face. You walk back around to his side, dragging your palm against his scaly skin as you walk back to Bakugou. 
“W-wow,” is all you can utter as Bakugou chuckles. 
“He is somethin’, huh? Let’s get going.” He replies, hoisting you onto Kirishima’s back. 
He tosses you the remaining bags and pulls himself up as well, settling himself directly in front of you. You take one more glance back at the shrine, Tenshi now waving at you. You wave back, flashing Tenshi a toothy grin. You then turn to face Bakugou, your arms snaking around his thin waist. His muscles tense under you as he slaps Kirishima’s back, signaling it was time to go. 
Without time to register, Kirishima shoots up into the sky, your hands finding purchase on Bakugou’s pelt as you hold on for dear life. As quickly as it starts it’s over, Kirishima leveling out amongst the clouds. 
It’s breathtaking. The heat of the day melts away as the air pressure drops, the clouds breezing by. You feel like you could float on endlessly, and with Bakugou at your fingertips and Kirishima securely beneath you, you feel like you’re in heaven. 
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